


Another Sonic BOOM Story: Rewritten and Remastered

by Emme2589



Series: A Sonic BOOM Story [2]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Blood, Canonical Character Death, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Psychological Horror, Romance but it's not a focus, Strong Language, Torture, a lot of characters, like way too many characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:00:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 46
Words: 93,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21892546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emme2589/pseuds/Emme2589
Summary: A story about seven heroes spanning five years.
Relationships: Amy Rose/Sonic the Hedgehog
Series: A Sonic BOOM Story [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1576396
Comments: 7
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

“Are you sure? These boxes are kinda heavy on their own...” Silver gently set the cores down, rubbing his palms after carrying them so far.

“Yes. The others could use your help, and I know how to get rid of these properly.” Shadow held the black Chaos Emerald in his hand, sweeping up the boxes in a Chaos field, “I’ll see you in a few minutes, okay?”

“Okay.” Silver reluctantly turned to leave, “Be careful!”

“You too.”

Shadow waited until Silver was gone before he used Chaos Control to appear hundreds of miles away. The sudden change in temperature was scalding, but he brought each box to the edge of the rocky slope. He was at the mouth of a volcano.

He hadn’t been here in a long time. The last time he stood on this cliff was the first time he’d broken control from Black Doom’s power. He remembered how he had teetered on the edge, knowing how easy it would be to fall in and take him out of the picture so the demon couldn’t use him as his puppet anymore...he shook the morbid thought from his head. He wasn’t here to swim in the lava.

He was careful as he removed the first core from its box. It radiated power, just like the emeralds, but it was so obviously fake. It had a shell on the outside to contain its highly-concentrated power, and the inside was totally black with just a hint of green on the inside. Shadow held the heavy sphere in one hand, squeezing it until it cracked. Long rays of light shone from the cracks, letting off large amounts of energy until Shadow turned it in his hand and dropped it into the magma below. It exploded upon impact, but fizzled away without any more fuss.

One by one, the black hedgehog lifted each core, cracked it, and sent it into the lava to be destroyed. Two, three, four, five. Being this close to the mantle of the Earth made him drowsy. If he didn't have bulletproof skin, he was sure he'd be roasted by now. Finally, the seventh core met its scorching end, and Shadow turned to the final eighth one.

“I won't let you control me.” His voice was low over the crackling of magma, “Not again.” he brandished the black emerald in his free hand, and the two began to clash, “I know you’re in there. I could so easily end you right now if I chose to, so I’m going to simply leave you with a warning; If you hurt Sonic or his friends, your end will be the most long and painful death that I can possibly muster. He may be above taking lives, but I am not.” he crushed the core so it violently reacted to the black gem, “It would be so easy. If only I didn’t need this emerald anymore.”

He let the two sources of power attack each other for one more moment before the final core met its end in the volcano, its explosion much bigger than the previous cores, but it ultimately faded into black ash that was swallowed up by the Earth.

Shadow fiddled with the ring on his wrist, casting his gaze to the emerald. He realized he should probably get back to the rest of the group, so he turned away from the opening of the volcano.

“I bet you wish I could be your puppet again.” were his final words before he disappeared.

***

**June - Year 0**

Sonic ran up the stairs of the crumbling building as fast as his legs could carry him. The foundation was cracking, windows shattering as Sonic repeatedly climbed up and down the building to bring people down to safety. Silver was trying to hold the building up with his powers, but it was a lot of work, and his focus was slipping.

“AGH!” Sonic tripped when part of the building fell in front of him. He curled up into a ball, trying to regain his footing as the floor split in half and threatened to dump him back down on the street.

“Gotcha!” a fireman grabbed his wrist to yank him back up, “You okay?”

“Yes, thank you.” Sonic continued through his crusade as he hit the communicator on his wrist, “Tails, what’s the status on the victims?”

 _“I’ve got most of them out, but some people are still having trouble getting to the bottom floor from the very top.”_ Tails’ voice came out clear over the noise of the plane he was flying.

“Got it. I’ll get them out as fast as I can!”

_“There’s no time! The whole thing’s about to topple!”_

Sonic paused in his running. The whole room was tipping as Sonic scrambled for what to do.

He squared his shoulders, “I have an idea, Tails! You’ve still got that grapple on the Tornado 2, right!?”

_“Yeah, but it’s not nearly strong enough to hold a building!”_

Sonic smirked as he mumbled to himself, “We’ll see about that.” he ran all the way to the roof of the building, “Tails, aim the grappler for me!”

_“What!?”_

“Just do it! I know what to do!”

The building continued to tip as Tails uneasily fired up the grappler to aim it with a control pad beside the steering wheel. He pointed it at Sonic, then he fired. Sonic dodged out of the way just as it launched, and he grabbed it out of the air, ignoring the way the rough material burned through his gloves.

_“Sonic! What are you doing!?”_

Sonic couldn't answer as he disappeared down the side of the building, as both his arms were wrangling the clawed wire. He remembered the grappler having a lot of give, so he ran around the outside walls as fast as he could, wrapping the rope around the part of the building that was falling. The shifting of gravity made Sonic dizzy, but he kept running. He didn't let himself stop.

Finally, the rope ran out, and Tails was lurched forward as Sonic dug the claw on the end to the side of the building and ran up the wire to Tails plane.

“Are you crazy!?”

“Trust me!” Sonic lifted all the emeralds he'd borrowed from his friends, “Ready!?”

Tails yanked back on the controls, clearly in a panic.

“Tails.” Sonic put a hand on his shoulder, speaking as calmly as he could directly in his ear, “Turn the plane around, and fly in the opposite direction.”

Tails’ blue eyes met green ones behind their amber goggles, and his gaze softened as the plane was pulled down with the building.

“We can do this.” Sonic said, “Together.”

“Together...” Tails turned the wheel, _“Together!”_

“Together!” Sonic lifted into the air with the emeralds. He couldn't transform without all seven, but he still used the ones he had to channel Chaos power to the plane.

Tails turned the plane away from the building, pushing down on the pedal for the thrusters until it was floored. He used every ounce of concentration to steer the plane, and the boys’ combined efforts was enough to very slowly stop the building from falling.

“It's okay, Tails. I'm still here. Keep going. You can do it. I believe in you.”

Sonic's words of encouragement kept him focused on his task, even if his strained tears threatened to blind him and his hands were shaking too badly to be able to hold a pencil. He kept steering, his gaze straight ahead aside from his routine glances in the rearview mirrors. When the building began to tilt towards them, he eased up on the thrusters.

“Sonic! _Let go!”_

“You got it!”

Tails let up on the steering wheel and disconnected the grappler from the plane. The plane shot forward, and Tails had to swerve out of the way of another building by yanking it up in the air.

 _“Everyone’s out, you guys!”_ Knuckles’ voice came through on the communicators, _“Come on down!”_

Tails’ landing was much rockier than he was proud of, and his stomach lurched again as he fiddled with the buckle on his seatbelt. Sonic reached over to undo it himself, and Tails fell out of the pilot's seat on the ground below.

He felt the familiar burning sensation snake up his throat, “Sonic-!”

He understood, _“Bucket!”_

A bucket flew at Sonic's face, and he caught it to slam it on the ground in front of his friend. Tails grabbed it just as he threw up, his sweaty forehead resting on its rim.

Sonic pat his back, “There there, it's okay.”

Tails looked up slightly between his retches, _“I'm sorry...”_

“Don't apologize.” Sonic held Tails’ shoulders as he leaned over the bucket, “It's not your fault you get motion sickness so easily.”

Tails didn't talk again until his stomach was empty and he felt safe lifting his head, covering his mouth to hide it from spectators.

“Still.” his ears drooped, “You shouldn't have to-!”

“Tails, it's not that big a deal to bring a bucket on all our missions.” Sonic interrupted, rolling his eyes, “Just give it a rest. You're an irreplaceable part of the team either way.”

Tails knew that, obviously, but it still made him feel like a burden sometimes.

“Nice job.” Silver landed nearby, “We can take it from here.”

“Nah, man!” Sonic gave him a gentle punch in the arm, “You held up that building for ages! You deserve a break.”

“I don't need my powers to escort people out.” Silver joined Blaze at the edge of the parking lot, “Take care, guys!”

“You too!” Sonic wrapped a hand around Tails’ arm, “Can you stand?”

Tails leaned on him as he got to his feet, trying to ignore the bucket until Amy took it away. He waited for the blood to stop rushing out of his head, then he let go of Sonic.

“Okay. I'm cool now.”

Sonic kept his arms out, “You sure?”

“Yeah.” Tails shook his head and smiled at the lack of static in his vision, “Don't worry, it's always short-lived.”

“Awesome. Just let me know if you're feeling sick again, okay?” Sonic leapt over the plane to run back to the building.

They would have to tear it down the rest of the way, as their precarious balancing act was already making the building fall faster. Sonic brought a fist to his palm, a wicked smile spreading on his face.

“Hey, Knuckles!” he beckoned to his friend, “You ready for some demolition!?”

“Oh, I was _born_ ready!”

“Don't let anything fall on the other buildings!” Amy held her hammer out in front of her, “Let's reduce collateral damage as much as possible!”

“Obviously.” Sonic ran up the side of the building, jumping over broken windows, “But that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun!”

With a bit of _gentle persuasion_ (controlled demolition), they were able to get the building to simply crumble into itself instead of crashing into other buildings on the way down. It would cost a lot to rebuild, but considering the circumstances, they had done all they could to keep the damage to a minimum. Silver stepped forward to search through the rubble.

“Uh, Silver?” Sonic joined him in the mess of concrete and drywall, “What are you looking for?”

Silver didn't answer, clearly uncoordinated with his actual hands thanks to his reliance on his psychokinesis, “Bodies. You know, just in case.”

Helicopters flew above them, full of squads of human soldiers that swept the area for stragglers. Silver was pulled away from the scene by Sonic when it was clear he had a headache, and the rest of the team joined them by the Tornado 2.

“We've done all we can.” Sonic told them gently, “We evacuated the area and got that building down as peacefully as we could. Now let's go home.”

“Sonic!”

Rouge flew from one of the bigger police cars. She had a new outfit that sported a heart over the chest, a band around her arm to delegate her rank as field agent.

“Hey.” Sonic crossed his arms, “It took you long enough.”

“We aren't a basic police force, hun.” Rouge landed next to him to address the entire group, “It was short notice, and we're spread thin on agents.”

“Spread thin?” Knuckles sat on the wing of the plane, “What else do you guys have going on?”

“More than any of us are happy with.” Rouge tossed her short hair, “Most of us are occupied with making sure Eggman doesn't come back from wherever he disappeared to with Metal, but we're also running checks on the tomb where Lyric is buried.”

Sonic leaned on the plane, “And Shadow?”

Rouge sighed, clicking her tongue.

“Still missing.”

That's what Sonic was afraid of. He brought a hand to his face.

“I promise, little blue. He's been much better since you helped him.” Rouge said, “It will never be that bad again.”

He wanted to believe that, he really did, but when Shadow disappeared for months at a time only to come back for a few days, it just made him anxious.

“I know. I trust you, and I trust him, but I can't help but worry anyway.”

Rouge shrugged, turning to assess the damage, “Well, you all did a great job. Now let us handle it.”

“Thanks, Rouge.” Sonic watched her go with increasing uneasiness, to the point where his stomach was roiling.

“Well, since everyone is dancing around the issue...” Knuckles lifted his arm, “What caused that building to topple in the first place?”

Nobody answered, the sound of police sirens fading into the background as the question lingered in their heads like a threat.

_“Hm...”_

***


	2. Chapter 2

**July - Year 0**

A figure watched in the shadows. This would be the perfect opportunity to snatch up that pink hedgehog. After all, her extensive research into the ancients’ technology and ruins would help him immensely, but he held back. She was spunky. Fiery. She would undoubtedly put up a fight, and he simply didn't have enough time to break someone so passionate. If only he had a machine that could simply take knowledge directly out of people's brains, but that was part of the exact knowledge he was searching for.

He saw the way the fox leaned over that bucket, though, and a smile crossed his cracked lips.

“You're smarter than her anyway.” he whispered to himself, “And much younger, too. This will be interesting.”

***

Sonic sat beside Amy on the beach, the new information rolling around in their heads until it didn't make sense anymore. Sonic was really considering just strapping a cellphone to Shadow's back, because he would've really liked the edge lord's opinion on the whole thing if only they had any way to contact him. Did he even know what had happened?

“Hey.”

Amy pulled Sonic's hand into her lap. The red fabric of her dress was like silky satin.

“Don't think so much about it.” Amy picked at a loose thread on Sonic's glove, “We've already discussed it, and everyone is tired.”

Sonic bowed his head, “Yeah, I know...”

Their unspoken feelings lingered between them like the ashes of an old fire. Sonic couldn't have guessed what Amy was thinking about, but even though he was sure he still loved her, he didn't think he was ready to commit yet. He felt bad that he was potentially leading her on, but if he was going to have a girlfriend, he wanted to make sure he did it right. After all, Amy meant a lot to him, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.

He opened his mouth to try and break the silence, but Knuckles appeared in that same moment.

“Guys!” he skid to a halt, “Let's go. Tails might have found something.”

For the past few months, the six Chaos Wielders that remained lived in a lonely cottage in the forest, partly to avoid paparazzi, but also because Sonic felt his team would benefit from living in nature. Tails was inside by the front door, pacing as he held his improved Miles Electric.

Sonic halted the fox in his pacing, “Tails, talk to me.”

“Huh?” Tails shook himself out of whatever train of thought he'd been in, “Right. I went back to Annie's temple to check up on things, and she told me that someone dug up Lyric's grave.”

Annie. The youngest sister of the original ancients. She was the one who buried Lyric's body in Sonar's temple after he was executed.

“Wait, so, the body is just missing?”

Amy looked warily from Sonic to Tails, “I thought they cut his head off?”

“They did, but both head and body were buried in the same tomb.” Tails went back to analyzing the screen of his device, “They removed all his body armor, too. She didn't mention if that was also missing.”

Sonic sat on the couch near the door, “What use could someone have with Lyric's body?”

“That's what I said! But Annie didn't tell me anything else.”

“Great. Guess we're fighting _zombie Lyric now!”_ Sonic threw up his hands, slouching on the couch so his back was on the seat but his head was upright, “I should've known these past few months of peace wouldn't last!”

“Sit up!” Amy yanked on Sonic's arm, but he held firm.

“No way! Maybe if I get back problems, I'll have an excuse to sit at home!”

“Guys! Stop!” Tails jumped between them, setting his device on the coffee table, “Sonic, we both know you wouldn't do that.”

Sonic sighed heavily, shifting so he was laying on his side instead, “Of course. I wouldn't leave you guys to fight alone.”

Amy looked away from the two boys, scratching the back of her head.

“Yeah.” Tails fiddled with the toolbelt that went over his shoulder, “Anyway, Knuckles actually mentioned that the Master Emerald has been...agitated recently. He can't figure out what's giving him that impression, but he was hoping you'd be able to help him figure it out, Sonic.”

“Sure. I've got time to swing by.” Sonic stretched as he got off the couch, “Hey Tails, while I'm gone, could you run a few more tests on your Shadow finder?”

“Sure. It was due for another test anyway.”

A crash came from the kitchen, followed by panicked footsteps.

 _“Gah!”_ Silver appeared around the doorway, “Tails, I'm so sorry!”

Tails gripped his head in frustration, “Silver, what did I say about using your powers before they've healed!? Ugh, see you later, Sonic. Amy.”

Sonic waved after Tails, hoping for Silver's sake that he hadn't broken anything important.

***

When Sonic approached Angel Island, he could already tell that something was off. Mighty and Knuckles were talking in hushed voices close by, and he made sure his shoes were tapping on the stone of the pedestal so he didn't startle them.

Mighty lifted his head, “Hey. Did Tails fill you in?”

“Kinda.” Sonic already had his attention on the emerald. Instead of its usual feeling of comfort, it was buzzing like a hornet's nest. He could feel the soul inside though, so he pushed forward, “Chaos?”

Mighty and Knuckles didn't interfere. As Sonic stepped closer, the awful buzzing intensified until he stiffly reached his arm out to touch the gem.

Since their original adventure, Sonic had been able to hone his ability to see through memories. It wasn't easy, as if he fell into a memory, he couldn't get out unless someone else interrupted him from the outside, and coming back from a memory always made him feel like his head had been stuffed with cotton. But hey, at least it wasn't as bad when he got stuck _between_ reality and memories. Sometimes he would lose complete control of half his body while he was ripped back to the present.

Luckily, he knew how to avoid that. Chaos gently pulled him into the memory, leaving his body relaxed and still in the present.

_He looked around him. He had found himself in a glade, with a cliff overlooking a futuristic-looking city. He recognized it as the capital of Sonar's land, with streets that circled in loops and grinding rails for high-tech soap shoes. This civilization had been lost to time after Lyric's raid, and even its exact location wasn't known anymore._

_Chaos stood beside him, gazing out over the city. His lanky frame was over twice as tall as Sonic, but he felt safe and relaxed here regardless._

_Sonic watched the bustling city of happy mortals, wondering when it would all go wrong, “Is this your memory?”_

_Chaos didn't answer at first. He simply gazed ahead, his unblinking alien eyes looking out over the skyline._

_Sonic felt his words more than he heard them. I visited Sonar's capital frequently before I found my vessel in Chaos. This place holds great sentimental value to me, and it saddens me to see it reduced to nothing but empty fields of ice. Chaos looked down into the chrome finish of one of the giant skyscrapers. I visit every day in my dreams._

_Sonic knew this wouldn't last, “Are you okay? Knuckles says you're agitated about something.”_

_Chaos gave a single nod, his watery body rippling with stress. Bless that child. One day I will take over his role, and he can live his life however he sees fit._

_The sun in the distance suddenly flared, and the heat made sweat drip down Sonic's forehead._

_But yes. Chaos brought a fist to his chest. I am upset._

_The entire city caught fire, burning everything in its path. The mortals were gone. The flames climbed up the buildings, like long limbs that had been trapped in a tiny box. Six demonic eyes shone from the darkness._

_Please, seek out the spirit of Gaia. Chaos shielded Sonic from the gruesome scene, but Sonic could still see through the water. I fear that he is breaking. Something is waking him up, and he needs help._

_“Gaia?” Sonic averted his gaze into the dark green jungle behind him, “The spirit of the earth?”_

_He may not be a spirit for much longer. Chaos lay one cold arm on Sonic's back. I will try my best to communicate to you through your emeralds, but it's not always easy for me to navigate away from the Master Emerald._

_The city crumbled away, and Angel Island came back into view._

_“Wait, Chaos!”_

_Sonic gripped the spirits arms before he could fully wake up, his stomach flipping from the contact with the slippery water._

_“Where can I find Gaia?”_

_Chaos gazed into Sonic's eyes, his expression full of something like pity._

_Doctor Ivo Eggman Robotnik. Find him, and you will find your answer._

Sonic's eyes flew open, his fingers just barely hovering in front of the powerful gem. He let his arm fall to his side, carefully turning his throbbing head towards the other two who were still watching him.

“Oh, good.” Mighty made a show of wiping his forehead, “I was afraid you were gonna go crazy again.”

Mighty was at least sixteen by now, and so he was much taller than Sonic was used to, even though he himself had been getting taller as well. Honestly, what was he expecting? Knuckles was at least two inches taller than him and he didn't seem so tall. Maybe Sonic was just used to Knuckles being tall since he hung around him all the time.

“We have to find Gaia.” Sonic started down the stone staircase, “Chaos said that Eggman will lead us to him.”

“Eggman?” Knuckles followed close behind his friend, “You mean, the same Eggman that's been missing for almost a year?”

Sonic remembered the last time he had seen the scientist; When Knuckles ran away because Eggman broke his temper, after which Sonic told Eggman in the calmest voice possible at the time to get out and never come back.

“Yeah.” he stopped at the bottom of the staircase, “That's the one.”

“Where are we going to find him, anyway? Where do we even start?”

“Well, it's not like we've really been looking for him.” Sonic turned back to the emerald, “Bye, Mighty! It was nice to see you again!”

“Bye! Good luck finding Gaia!”

Mighty curled up to take a nap below the emerald as Sonic and Knuckles returned home, still discussing ideas on how to find the elusive scientist.

***


	3. Chapter 3

**August - Year 0**

“Ow!”

Sonic jumped out of his stupor. Silver had been attempting to cut an apple, but ended up slicing his finger instead.

“Silver!” Sonic pulled the bloodstained glove off Silver's hand, “Just stop. That's enough.”

Silver scowled as Sonic steered him out of the kitchen into the living room. He set the white hedgehog on the couch, leaving to grab the first aid kit from the bathroom.

“Seriously, you've been at this all day.” Sonic knelt on the floor to take care of the injury.

Silver’s hands were covered in bandages, all of which were from his attempts to stubbornly work his shaking arms even though it was clearly not working. Sonic swabbed the new cut with antiseptic before applying the bandage.

 _“Ow ow ow.”_ Silver blinked, his other hand tangling in his bangs.

“Why are you doing this, Silver?” Sonic ran a thumb over the turquoise circle on the back of Silver's hand, “You’re not even injured anymore. Why do you keep trying to use your hands when it's always been easier to use your powers?”

“See, that's exactly the problem.” Silver took his arm back from the blue hero, “I rely _too much_ on my powers. Using them at this point is second nature for me, but what if I lose them again? What if I'm forced to fight in close quarters with nothing but my fists? I can't afford to lose everything on something so small.”

Sonic looked away, biting down on a nail through his glove.

“The only thing I can even do with my hands is write, and basic things like tying laces of course. But using a melee weapon? That could get me killed.”

Sonic stood up to take the seat beside Silver, “Knuckles is really good at melee, maybe I can ask him to train you?”

“What? You don't have to do that.”

“It would be my pleasure.” Sonic wrapped an arm around him, “He's not the most patient person, but he's not a bad teacher. I think at the very least it would make you more confident in your melee abilities.”

“Mm...” Silver got off the couch, “Okay. I'll see what I can do. Thanks, Sonic.”

“No problem.”

“SONIC!”

Tails burst into the room from his workshop, his bangs sticking out in all directions.

“Tails!?” Sonic ran to him.

“Sonic, I found Eggman!” Tails lifted his device, “But I also have bad news!”

Tails’ workshop was a total mess. Notebook paper covered in chicken scratch, an overflowing wastebasket, and an entire corkboard of printed documents. As Tails was usually meticulous about maintaining an uncluttered workspace, Sonic was surprised that he had let it get this bad.

“Okay, so you're probably wondering why it's such a mess in here.” Tails stopped in front of the corkboard, “Well I don't want to hear it! We have more important things to worry about!”

Sonic took the chair in the corner, gesturing to the other one for Silver. They might be here for awhile.

“So I figured that hacking into Eggman's servers would give me an idea of how many bases he has and possibly which one he's hiding out in.” Tails pointed to each tack in the corkboard, which Sonic noticed was also covered in photos, “But I wasn't dumb enough to leave any traces, so I build myself a way to mask my IP and get my signal through all the others. Just to be safe, I intersected a few signals on the wavelength and figured out how to disguise my own as an Eggman signal, and once I was inside, I got down as much information as possible on paper and on my other devices. His firewall caught me, though, and I was booted out. I think it tried to datamine me too, but like I said, I covered my tracks.”

“Wow.” Sonic didn't know what he was talking about, but it certainly sounded crazy, “So what did you find out?”

Tails’ grin masked the bags under his eyes, “I found out that Eggman has a few main bases that he moves between every once in awhile, but not too often. That's the key, if he moves too often, people will catch on and find him, so if we simply check all the bases he hangs around the most often, there's a good chance we'll easily find him!”

Sonic jumped up to wrap his friend in a hug, “Tails, you're a genius!”

“Hehe.” Tails returned the hug, “Thanks.”

Sonic held him at arm's length, smiling into those giant sky-blue eyes, “So where are these bases?”

“Oh! Right!” Tails returned to the corkboard, “The details are a bit fuzzy, but I know for sure he has a hidden base in each of these locations; Apotos, Mazuri, Holoska, Spagonia, and one more somewhere in the south. I couldn't get its exact location before Eggman kicked me out.”

“That's awesome!” Sonic headed for the door, “Come on!”

“Spagonia is nearby, we can start there.” Tails turned back to Silver, “Oh, did you wanna come too?”

“No thanks, I'd better stay, but you two have fun!”

“Bye, Silver.”

The two boys headed for the Tornado 2, beginning their search for Eggman and Gaia.

***

“Ugh.” Sonic shook the chill from his body, “Did it have to be the ocean?”

“Spagonia is a continent over.” Tails turned on the windshield wipers, “At least you have an actual seat this time.”

It was true, the Tornado 2 had three seats, one pilot's seat, and two passenger seats all in a row along the bullet-like body of the plane. Sonic slouched further in his seat, trying to hide from the cold of the shadows.

“Yeesh, is it gonna rain or something?” Sonic eyed the clouds above them.

“Hm...” Tails checked his radar, “I don't think so...it looks like it's coming from...”

He froze.

“Tails? What...?” Sonic realized what he was hearing; A loud, evil laugh.

 _“Oh hohoho!”_ the familiar voice was projecting through a loudspeaker on the biggest airship the boys had ever seen, _“It’s been awhile, hedgehog!”_

“Eggman!?” Sonic undid his seatbelt to stand behind Tails’ seat, “What are you doing here!?”

 _“What do you think, you pathetic pincushion!?”_ the airship whirred with a thousand guns and missile launchers, _“I'm here to destroy you, once and for all!”_

Sonic crouched, “Tails!”

“Don't worry, I've prepared for this!” Tails pulled back on a lever and the plane transformed in front of their eyes, “Battle mode engaged!”

“Perfect!” Sonic grabbed the controls that had appeared in front of his seat.

“Shoot the missiles!”

It took some time to get used to the controls, but luckily the Tornado 2 was built like a tank, so it could take quite a few hits while Sonic steered the bullets toward each weapon that was firing at them. Tails had to try dodging some of them though, as even though they were working together, some bullets were still slipping through, and the shield on the plane was slowly breaking down.

Sonic noticed the tell-tale signs of Tails’ motion sickness, and he pulled back on his missile control, “Tails, we have to land! You can't keep flying like this!”

The plane jerked as Tails swayed in his seat, “There's nowhere to land!”

“Find an island or something! Fly closer to the continent!” Sonic shot a barrage of bullets at the missiles that threatened to kill them.

Tails held an arm over his stomach, “Sonic, I can't, I...”

“Tails, listen to me, we can do this.” Sonic reached over to steer the plane away from the bus-sized missile headed right for them, his hands firmly over Tails’ glove on the wheel, “You're okay, we're okay. Just focus. Find us a place to land, and we can figure this out together.”

Tails brought both arms to his body, letting Sonic take over the wheel while he calmed down.

“Together.” Tails gripped the wheel again, “TOGETHER!”

Sonic got back on his missile control, “Together. Never forget that, Buddy, we're in this together!”

Tails was still feeling sick, but he managed to weave his way through the rest of the assault until the new continent became visible on the horizon. He dropped the plane into a nosedive, landing in the trees nearby so they were hidden.

 _“Boss, they disappeared!”_ the voice of Orbot was the last thing they heard before all was silent.

“Here you go, Tails.”

Sonic fished the bucket out of the plane, and Tails held it in his clammy arms to throw up.

“Yikes.” Sonic cringed as he exited the plane, “I just hope you're actually absorbing anything we feed you.”

Tails took a deep breath as he lifted his head, “I mostly eat at night before I go to bed. I know you're not technically supposed to do that, but if I eat too much in the morning, I’ll probably lose it if there's a mission.”

“I’m so sorry, Tails.” Sonic took the bucket and set it on the grass before helping Tails climb out of the plane, “I can't imagine what that must be like. Let's get lunch while we're in town, okay?”

“Maybe later. I need to wait for my stomach to settle.” Tails leaned back on the plane while he regained his composure, “Well, Eggman probably isn't here anymore, but I wonder if we can still datamine his computer here.”

“He doesn't know it was you when you did your hack, right?”

Tails shrugged, “All I got was that it realized there was an intruder, but he doesn't know many other people who have both the skill and the motive to hack his servers, so he probably still knows that it was me.”

“Let's hope not.” Sonic shook his head, picking up the bucket to rinse it out in the ocean nearby.

Tails retrieved his device from the wheel of the plane, “I just hope we won't run into Metal.”

Sonic rapped his knuckles on one of the trees as he returned with the clean bucket, just in case, “There's a name I haven't heard in awhile.”

“Did you just knock on wood?”

“Yeah, man.” Sonic dropped the bucket by the plane before walking with Tails towards the town, “I know what you're gonna say, but you're afraid of ghosts.”

“Ah!” Tails began to visibly shake, looking all around them among the trees, “Shut up! I know ghosts aren't real, but doesn't it freak you out that maybe we're wrong and constantly being watched?”

“Heh. Tell Espio that.”

Tails laughed a little as the two passed by the welcome sign to the town, _Welcome to Spagonia!_

“I didn't say your fear was dumb.” Sonic weaved between the pedestrians, one arm around his friend, “But I'm just saying. I trust nature, so knocking on wood seems like a good idea even if it's just a superstition.”

Tails eyed the stalls of food as they passed by, “Oh! We should make a quick stop at my office here before we set out for Eggman's lair.”

“You have an office here?” Sonic pulled himself and Tails away from the endless crowds of people.

“Yeah. I’m hardly ever here, but I take college classes up at Spagonia University. I’m hoping to get an internship as soon as I'm old enough.”

Sonic halted in his tracks until Tails noticed and turned around.

“What?”

“Tails, you are _eight years old!”_

Tails’ reply was a sheepish grin, “Uh...yeah, Sonic, I know how old I am.”

“Shut up! College classes!? Get outta town!”

“It's not a big deal, really. Look, it's around this street.”

It never failed to astound Sonic that Tails still put down his abilities like they were something that just anyone could do. It made him want to scream. A bunch of students greeted Tails on his way to the main building, not like fans had in the past, but like they were old friends. Sonic was relieved when the two finally got inside.

“How popular are you here, Tails?”

“Oh, those guys are just people I've met in my classes. I don't really know them all that well.”

The hallways were endlessly long, but Tails knew exactly where he was going, slipping into a classroom near the end of the hall towards the staircase. Inside, an old man with large grey eyebrows paced around his desk, a hand to his chin as he thought.

Tails closed the door of the classroom, “Hiya, Professor!”

The man looked up, his concern morphing into a bright smile, “Tails! It's good to see you again! And you must be Sonic!”

“Sonic the Hedgehog, at your service!” Sonic gave a thumbs up.

The professor held out his hand for a handshake, “It’s wonderful to meet you. My name is Professor Dillan Pickle.”

 _Wow. That's a worse name than Miles Per-Hour._ Sonic smiled to himself.

“I just came by to grab something from my desk here.” Tails walked to the door on the other side of the classroom, “By the way, you didn't see Eggman while you were here...?”

“Oh yes, and I gave him a piece of my mind.” the professor went back to his pacing, “In hindsight, I believe he was trying to kidnap me.”

“What?” Sonic put a hand on the desk, “What tipped you off?”

“He said, ‘get in my ship before I blast your brains out.’”

Sonic hit his face with his open palm.

“However, a moment later he got an alert on his watch, and he left. I wonder what that was all about.”

Tails slipped into the far door, “He must have figured out we were coming. Sonic, come here.”

He did, hovering by the doorway to see Tails rummaging through the drawers of the desk inside. The room was full of bookshelves, which were overflowing with books and documents, as was the crummy-looking desk that Tails was wrestling with as he searched. The chair beside the desk looked pretty nice, though.

Sonic sat in the chair, “What are you looking for?”

“A notebook. I have a lot of them, but one of these should hold the details of Gaia that Annie gave me last I was at her temple. I never remember where I leave them.”

Sonic grabbed the first notebook in the pile on the desk. The first thing he flipped to inside was, _“Gaia is the spirit of the earth, brother of Chaos.”_ in Tails’ scribbly handwriting.

“Found it.”

“Oh, thank you.” Tails took the notebook from him, “Now let's go.”

“Aw, you have no time to join me for lunch?” the professor watched Tails leave, “I brought the most savory cucumber sandwiches.”

“Maybe next time, Professor.” Tails motioned for Sonic to follow him, “I'll be here for next week's lecture, though.”

“Wonderful! Goodbye, boys!”

“Bye!” Tails thumbed through the notebook as he walked, “Okay, now let's get to Egghead's base. I get the feeling that we're close.”

***


	4. Chapter 4

**August - Year 0**

Tails smeared oil on his cheek as he worked on the control panel of Eggman's Spagonian base. He had code flashing across the screen of the Miles Electric as it was hooked up by multiple wires. Sonic was trying to wait for him to be done, but found himself quickly becoming impatient.

Sonic leaned on the big metal door, “So when do we get to break stuff?”

“Hush, I'm trying to concentrate.”

Sonic's arms shook with frustration. He decided to sit down and stretch before he had a chance to interrupt again.

The door finally opened and Tails unplugged the wires from the panel, “You'll get to break stuff soon, but Eggman has things in place for that. Just be patient, okay?”

 _“Okaaay.”_ Sonic dragged his feet as he followed Tails inside.

It wasn't the first Eggman base they'd been in, so navigating through it wasn't hard, but as this was an active base rather than an abandoned one, they had to be wary of security. Luckily, it seemed that Tails had disabled the cameras, so they only had to deal with the robots that blocked their way.

“Okay, perfect.” Tails plugged his device into the main computer, “This shouldn't take long. _Please don't be wiped.”_

Sonic looked over Tails’ shoulder to watch him work. There was no code this time, it was just a screen that read, _Transferring files from Base 24 to Miles Electric._ It showed a bar that filled up as it loaded; 7%, then 34%, then 90%...

“Yes!” Tails shut down the computer, “Now let's get out of here!”

***

“Whoa.” Sonic sat on the park bench beside Tails, “You got all of that?”

“Yeah.” Tails scrolled through the information he'd gathered at the base, “It looks like I was right. Eggman operates in several different bases, but the ones I recovered are the ones he frequents the most.”

“Ack!”

Silver was knocked back by Knuckles as they were sparring nearby.

“Don't ever let your guard down.” Knuckles helped him stand up, “Now go take a break, you've earned it.”

“Thanks.” Silver rubbed the spot on his chest where Knuckles had punched him, grabbing his water bottle before joining Sonic and Tails on the bench, “How's your search been going?”

“Great.” Tails was hyper-focused on the screen, “But I can't help but feel like I'm missing something...”

Sonic cocked his head, “Maybe Eggman doesn't keep all his information on the network?”

“No, Sonic, do you know what happens to stuff after it's been deleted on a computer?”

“Uhhh...” Sonic thought about moving things to the recycle bin on the desktop and pressing the _delete forever_ button, “It disappears?”

“That's just it, though; It doesn’t.”

“Tails, you'd better keep that thought going.”

Tails laughed, the tension rolling off his shoulders as Sonic's face turned beet red.

“Sorry! Not to scare you or anything.” Tails turned the screen on his device off to set it down beside him, “But files that get deleted still hang out on the drive for awhile. They just can't be accessed during normal use, and they eventually get overwritten by new files that haven't been deleted.”

Sonic made a mental note to fill his entire hard drive.

“While we were there, the computer actually realized there was an intruder, so it started rapidly deleting files. Luckily, it had to go through those two layers of deletion; Removing them from the drive, and actually destroying them, so I was still able to recover files that otherwise would’ve been lost.”

Tails let his gaze drop, playing with the cuffs on his gloves.

“But I'm beginning to wonder if some files still got deleted despite my best efforts, because there are gaps in the information that I can't fill.”

“Hey, Buddy.” Sonic gently hit Tails’ back, “You did your best. We can work with what we have.”

Tails smiled, “Yeah, I know, but sometimes the big picture doesn't make sense if you don't have the right details.”

Sonic knew how that felt. He could have sworn he'd already met Amy when he went to Christmas Island years ago, but he had no idea why until he found out that “Rosy” was just a nickname. It had all made sense after that.

“Still. Let's see what we can do.” Sonic stood to stretch, “Hey Silver, you wanna race?”

Silver put the cap back on his water bottle and wiped his mouth, “My legs are trying to kill me.”

Sonic thought about the answer, “So it's a yes?”

Silver rose into the air, that familiar glow surrounding him.

“You're on.”

***

**September - Year 0**

Tails organized the info he had on the corkboard, the trash cleaned up and thrown out. Well, most of it, his workshop was still messier than he would have liked, but he didn't have time to clean it up the rest of the way right now. He was working, and the gears were turning.

“Hey, Buddy.”

Tails was so lost in thought that Sonic's voice made him jump, “AH!”

“AH!” Sonic placed a hand over his heart, “Jeez, Tails, what are you doing?”

“Sorry. You startled me.”

“Is he still in there?” Blaze poked her head inside the room.

“Hey, I'm doing important work, here.” Tails made another note on a scrap of notebook paper, then he tacked it to the board.

Sonic held back a snicker, “Tails, you look like a conspiracy theorist.”

Tails flashed his best crazed grin, “THE MOON LANDING WAS FAKE!”

“TAILS, YOU'VE BEEN TO THE MOON!”

“THE WORLD IS RUN BY A SECRET CULT!” Tails flew over Sonic's head like a drone, “THE PLANET IS A SQUARE! THE BABYLONIANS ARE ALIENS!”

“THAT LAST ONE IS JUST TRUE!” Sonic covered his head, “STOP!”

Tails landed as they both burst into laughter.

“Um,” Blaze stepped between them as they struggled to breathe, “Is this some sort of inside joke?”

Sonic recovered first, though his shoulders still shook with laughter, “It's, _hahahaha,_ it's just that, ah, Tails gets really intense about conspiracy theories. He thinks they're an embarrassment to science, so one day I just started mocking those crazy people in the middle of a rant, and Tails just lost it!”

“It wasn't fair!” Tails leaned on his parts shelf as his giggles subsided, “I still had more to say, but you looked so stupid doing that!”

Blaze waited until the two of them had calmed down to speak again, “Tails, I had a question for you.”

“Oh yeah, shoot.”

Blaze looked over her shoulder, peering back into the house where Silver was talking to Amy. Silver laughed at something she said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Blaze put a hand around her mouth, “Have you noticed anything odd? Involving Solaris?”

Tails thought about the question, then he shook his head, “I've looked, but Solaris broke apart just like Gaia did. Their halves are contained in the scepter and crown of darkness, and there hasn't been a problem since.”

“Good.” Blaze looked back at Silver again, but he hadn't heard, “I just wanted to make sure.”

“Huh?” Sonic noticed the way her ear twitched, even if on the outside she was calm, “Why?”

Blaze sighed, “No reason. Forget I asked.”

She phrased it like a simple question, but for some reason, Sonic felt that maybe she had a special reason to be afraid of Solaris, but why?

Blaze left the workshop, and Sonic pushed the thought away for the moment, “So what's Eggman been up to? Have you pieced it together yet?”

Tails returned to his board, “I'm trying, but all I've figured out is that Eggman has something planned on December twenty fifth of this year.”

“Christmas day?” Sonic tried to follow the lines drawn between the scraps of paper, but it was too all over the place to decipher, “How did you figure that out?”

“Because it was repeated a lot.” Tails cleared his throat to do his best Eggman impression, _“‘On the day of twelve twenty five’, ‘if only it was twelve twenty five’, ‘Sonic will get a rude awakening on twelve twenty five’!”_

“Stop! You're killing me here!” Sonic laughed at the bad voice, “So you can't get any other details?”

“Well, I can, but there are too many variables to pull any definitive conclusions. For example, Eggman says he has, _‘a shipment’_ that's getting to him from _‘another country’,_ that will arrive on _‘the fourteenth’._ Do you see how vague that is? He doesn't even give the month of the date!”

Tails slammed his forehead into the corkboard, “Ouch.”

Sonic gently pulled the fox away from his work, “I think maybe you've been at this for too long. You wanna take a break? We haven't played video games together in a long time.”

Tails looked like he wanted to argue, but he massaged his temples instead, “Not now. I kind of just want a nap.”

Sonic sighed in relief, “Maybe I'll join you. A nap seems nice.”

Tails smiled from behind his drooping bangs, “Bean bag chairs?”

“Hell yeah.”

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sonic needs to wipe his mixtape off the face of the Earth before it can be used to blackmail him, in case you were wondering.


	5. Chapter 5

**December - Year 0**

Eggman had attacked a few more times since then, but Sonic's heart was never in it. Tails had come down the next morning after locking himself in his room, and he apologized for freaking out, but Sonic didn't hear it. Tails had been right, Sonic didn't listen to him, and it nearly got him killed. It was his fault. Even though the two of them had made up, Sonic was feeling awkward around him, even to the point where he was purposely putting himself on teams with his other friends so he wouldn't have to confront the awkwardness. It hurt, especially considering how close they were before that mission went sour, but what could he do about it? What could he say?

It didn't fully set in how bad the tension was until Sonic passed the calendar one morning, coffee in hand.

November 1st.

Knuckles found him not long afterwards, crying in a puddle of coffee. _“I can't do the candy thing without him.”_ he was saying, _“I don't know how to make this right.”_

Knuckles was frozen on the spot until Amy appeared to calm down the blue hero.

Sonic thought of all of this as he lay awake in bed, really wanting to roll over and go back to sleep. Tails was his best friend, his _brother._ What happened? He finally forced himself to leave the room, automatically heading to the kitchen to brew his coffee.

The windows were frosted over, Christmas lights twinkled on every house. How close was it to the day itself? He was sure that the others were hyping up the holiday, but he was too busy worrying about Tails. They didn't even have their tree up yet. Sonic poured his coffee and left to check the calendar.

December 25th.

Sonic did a spit take, hot coffee spilling all over his shoes. There's no way. The calendar was wrong, it must be.

He turned on his cellphone. December 25th. He opened his internet browser and looked up _What day is it today?_ It still said December 25th. What was going on? He was running Tails’ encryption, surely nobody was trying to trick him?

He finished his coffee and dropped his mug in the sink to check the rooms in the house. Tails, Amy, Blaze, and himself were the only ones who took the actual bedrooms. Knuckles slept on a shelf in the laundry room, while Silver took the biggest couch in the living room. Sonic and Tails used to share a room, but for the past couple of months, Sonic was camping out in the storage room upstairs, sleeping on a mattress on the floor by the window. Nobody was home, though. Not even Amy.

He passed by the door to the workshop, and heard someone inside. Tails was awake, and he was home.

He stopped, stood in front of the door, and lifted his hand to the doorknob. His fingertips brushed the smooth metal, but he couldn't move further than that. He could hear Tails humming a melody inside. He must have his headphones on, as he often did when he worked. Again, Sonic was assaulted by the guilt that ate him from the inside out. He knew that Tails was no longer mad at him, but those hurt blue eyes still stared back at him in his memory. He retracted his arm, taking a few steps back.

December 25th.

Sonic shook his head, pushing Tails to the back of his mind as he grabbed his coat and keys, then the tupperware container where they kept the chaos emeralds when they weren't in use. The black one was there too. Did Shadow bring it back last he was here?

He closed the door as he left the house and tramped through the snow. There was one small thing he needed to check.

***

Sonic pulled back on the controls of the spacecraft as he left the atmosphere of the planet. It wasn't anything fancy, but Rouge had kept it since she stole it from an abandoned Eggman facility when the team had left to find Shadow, and she was more than happy to let Sonic borrow it sometimes.

He found what he was looking for as the stars came into view. He knew Eggman had a base in orbit, because it was the one his mom had been captured in for most of his life, but he wasn't expecting it to be so massive. It was like a castle, a really big metal fortress that was full of robots and guns. He weaved through the mess, making his way to the center of the fleet.

A bullet suddenly shot from one of the turrets, destroying the engine on one of the wings and forcing Sonic to bail before the ship sailed away into the sky.

 _“Sorry, Rouge.”_ He took off.

He was taken aback by how gorgeous the galaxy was around him, even with all the light pollution, but he forced his gaze forward. Eggman was here, and he knew he had an intruder.

Every weapon fired at Sonic at the same time, but he jumped over and between and around them. Robots jumped out to crush him, but he slid right under them and twisted their legs together. The brightest smile spread across his face. He was having fun! He'd forgotten how much he missed this. Nothing else reached him in his adrenaline-fueled state, but he kept his goal in his mind; Eggman was either up to something, or Sonic would be able to happily go home like nothing even happened, right?

Sonic lost his footing once he'd entered the building, stumbling enough that a new robot easily swept him up in its giant hands. Sonic struggled, but he couldn't even move his arms where they were pinned to his sides.

“You meddling rodent!”

Sonic looked up at the familiar voice, realizing that this robot was not a robot at all; It was a mech, and it was piloted by none other than Doctor Eggman.

“Ugh!” Sonic realized he was in trouble. The mech's arms were squeezing him, forcing him to take shallow breaths as he was slowly crushed.

Oh yeah.

Sonic concentrated, _Chaos. I've found him, and now I need your help. Please._

The warmth of the emeralds enveloped him, and he exploded outward in a shower of sparks. Now in his golden super form, he threw himself at Eggman's mech, and Eggman ejected himself from the ruined machine to fly away in his Eggmobile.

“Oh no you don't!” Sonic pierced right through the vehicle, his burning hands gripping the front of Eggman's outfit, “You're not leaving until I know what you're up to!”

“Sonic! Put me down, please!” Eggman pleaded, genuine fear in his voice, “I'll explain everything, just don't kill me!”

Sonic couldn't find the lie in his words, so he carefully set the scientist on the ground, “You have five seconds.”

“See, I know Tails was the one who hacked my systems, but I swear, December twenty fifth is simply Mombot's birthday! I needed to keep reminding myself so I wouldn't forget!”

“Oh yeah, like I'm going to fall for that.” Sonic kept an eye on his ring count, knowing that once it depleted he would turn back. He didn't notice that Eggman had something in his hands.

“No, really! You don't need to beat me up, I get it, just...”

Sonic was yanked backward, trapped in a stasis beam, “What!?”

Eggman's wicked grin was burned into Sonic's retinas.

_“Just. Hold. Still.”_

Electricity shot through Sonic's body, booting out the Chaos Emeralds and forcing him to scream. Everything shook around him, the agony making him rake his nails up and down his arms, his head. He drew blood, but he hardly noticed in his delirium.

Eggman laughed over the screams of his arch nemesis, slamming a button that shot a beam of energy out of the cannon on the Eggfleet and into the planet. The stirring of the creature inside brought the most awful high-pitched noise to Sonic's head. He couldn't hear or see anything that wasn't absolute madness.

Sonic fell to the ground, ripping his palms as he scratched the metal of the contraption below him. His voice was too hoarse to scream anymore, but he still quaked as he felt a new kind of pain. It started when his ears stung like they were changing shape, then his head prickled as his quills grew longer. The fur on his body felt like sandpaper ripping the skin, his arms gained bulk as they tore through his gloves, his nails felt like they'd all been torn off. Lastly, his teeth hurt like they had been drilled all the way through. He was afraid to close his jaw, in case all he would feel was bleeding gums.

Finally, _finally,_ the pain was over, and the drained emeralds fell in a pile around him. He still had a sense of panic, but in that brief moment of calm, all he wanted was to be dead. He wanted the noise, the aches, the memory of what had just happened to end. Why couldn't it all just end?

He lifted his head, trying to hear what Eggman was saying through all the static.

“And just like that, the pieces all fall into place. At long last, my dream of world domination will become a reality, and all will bow to me! DOCTOR EGGMAN! OH HOHOHOHO!”

 _Stop just stop everything stop._ Sonic finally got to his feet, his heart pounding like a steel drum against his ribcage. He couldn't remember the last time where simply standing up was a life-shattering decision. He reached for one of the emeralds, and stopped to stare at his arm.

 _“Egg...man...”_ Sonic turned to the fat scientist to bear his teeth, which still hurt beyond anything he'd felt in the past.

_“What have you done!?”_

His voice, too. God, it was so gravelly, like the voice of a monster. Eggman simply continued to smile, the harsh light from outside gleaming off his blue glasses.

“Huh. You look nice, Sonic. Looks like my plan got you a new form! You should be thanking me!”

Sonic was so angry. He finally grabbed one of the emeralds, falling to his knees as he stared. The gems were so big that normally Sonic could only barely wrap his fingers around one of them, but now his hand engulfed the emerald, like he was holding something no bigger than a tennis ball. Not a single drop of power was left in it, as it had turned a complete dull gray. His nails hadn't been ripped off like he'd feared, instead each of his fingers was tipped in a razor-sharp claw.

That meant, his teeth...?

He ran a shaking tongue over them. Tears pricked in his eyes. He once had an ordinary row of teeth with pointy yet dull incisors, but now every one of them was long and sharp. He couldn't even close his mouth all the way, as his fangs always jutted out from between his lips. Just talking was proving to be tricky.

_“What happened to me?”_

“I wouldn't worry about that, my spiky friend.” Eggman spoke from his chair in the back like this was a perfectly normal situation, “Maybe it's a new power, who knows? Oh! Would you look at the time, I really must be going, but let's catch up some other time, hm?”

Sonic realized what was happening when Eggman hid himself behind a wall of glass. The window behind him gave way to the vacuum of space, and Sonic was ripped from the fleet until it was a dot in the distance. He looked down to see that the planet below him was broken up into pieces, and was rapidly approaching.

The trauma finally caught up to him, and he fell into fitful unconsciousness.

***

The moon shone brightly above him, a breeze kicking up in the distance and rustling the leaves in the trees. The grass below him was cold and damp, but it felt different somehow, like his fur was...!

Sonic jumped into the air, crying out when his muscles protested the action. The memories came flying back to him, Eggman, his machine, his cannon, the emeralds! Sonic gazed at his hands, the skin there a deep blue gray instead of its usual warm peach. Tears fell into his open palms. What was he going to do? Was he stuck like this forever? How would he tell everyone?

What could he say to Tails?

_“Hey, I think there's someone over there. Let's go see if they're alright.”_

Oh no, he didn't want anyone to see him like this. He must look like a total wreck, a monster with claws and sharp teeth crying out in the middle of nowhere. He tried to shake it off, but it just made everything hurt again.

“Hey, are you alright?”

He didn't have enough time to form a plan, so he simply looked up into familiar red eyes. It took him a second longer to register them to a name.

He couldn't believe his eyes, “Shadow?”

Shadow stepped back, one hand on the pistol at his belt, “How do you know me?”

He didn't seem panicked, just cautious, so Sonic kept talking, “Shadow, it's me.”

Shadow scrutinized him, straightening his posture as he looked the monster up and down. He finally settled on Sonic’s green irises, the only thing about him that had stayed exactly the same.

His brow ridge flew up, “Sonic!? Is that you!?”

Sonic dropped his hands in the grass, registering just how exhausted he was. Shadow recognized him. Not right away, but Shadow hadn't freaked out at seeing the monster either. He was only confused now that he knew who he was looking at.

“Goddammit, Sonic, what happened to you!?” Shadow's hands hovered above him, but didn't make contact with any of the dark blue fur, “Are you in pain?”

Sonic nearly collapsed in relief, but instead he held his head with one hand, keeping the other on the ground for stability, “Shadow, oh my god, Eggman did this to me! I don't know how, but he stole the emeralds and split the planet in half, and...I don't know what he was doing! I'm such an idiot, I walked right into his trap!”

“Sonic, hey.” Shadow held Sonic's head up as it threatened to fall, “This wasn't your fault. All if it was that worthless self-absorbed garbage excuse for a human. You didn't ask for any of this.” he gazed off into the distance with murder in his eyes, but when he looked at Sonic, it was replaced with compassion.

“Shadow, what do I do?”

Shadow carefully stepped away, “I don't know...huh?” he was confused as he looked around them, “Where did the little guy go?”

Sonic was grateful for the distraction, “The little guy?”

“Yeah. After the earthquakes settled, I found a little guy in the wreckage. He doesn't remember who he is, but he was here just a second ago...” Shadow finally spotted a tiny tuft of fur hiding behind a rock. A ghost of a smile crossed his face, “Hey, no need to be afraid. This guy is my friend.”

He poked his head out. It was a tiny creature with red and white fur. He had a big clump of fur on top of his head and another as a tail, and he had something glowing around his neck. Sonic felt something looking into those tiny eyes, and the little guy must have felt it too, because he smiled as he came out from behind the rock to greet them.

“Sorry, Shadow.” he scratched his head, “I just wasn't sure what to expect!”

“Well, me neither.” Shadow shrugged, “This isn't how he normally looks, so I didn't recognize him at first.”

“Oh, okay.” the small creature flew on tiny bee wings, “It's nice to meet you, mister monster guy!”

The nickname was spoken so innocently, but it cut deeper than the transformation had. Surely he had the same heart? But even though he felt like himself on the inside, everything about him on the outside was wrong.

“Uh, I actually haven't seen it myself yet.” Sonic shrugged towards Shadow, “It's not that bad, right?”

Shadow tried to be kind, but Sonic could tell he was cringing, “You just don't look exactly like yourself. Really, it's fine.”

“So I don't look like a monster.”

 _“I'm_ a monster.”

“Exactly! So you have no reason to be afraid of me!”

_“Sonic...”_

“Um...” the small creature got between them before they could fight, “So Sonic is your name?”

“Er, yea. Sonic the Hedgehog.”

“Nice to meet you, I'm...” the creature looked into the sky, “Oh. Right. I don't know.”

“Yeah, it seems the little guy has amnesia.” Shadow gazed east, towards the steady light of dawn, “Can't even remember where he used to live.”

“Hm...” something hurt inside of Sonic looking at the light, but he paid it no mind, “Maybe you should go into town to see if anyone knows him.”

“Good idea. I was actually on my way to Apotos when we ran into you. Maybe you can come with us and find a way home?”

Sonic's stomach dropped, “I can't go into town like this!”

“Yes you can.” Shadow rolled his eyes, “We don't even have to call you Sonic while we're there. And besides, for all we know, this form is temporary.”

“Don't give me false hope, Shads.”

He was about to say something else, but suddenly the sun was out, and Sonic was hurting all over again. He fell forwards, making long scratches in the ground as his fur fell out and grew back, his quills shortened, his teeth, his nails, all bringing back the vivid memories of the transformation.

“Sonic!” Shadow hovered beside him, not sure what to do.

This time was a lot quicker, thankfully. Sonic slowly stood up, feeling his body for any new injuries.

“Huh?” his voice! He looked down, “Alright! I'm back to normal!”

Shadow jumped back as Sonic threw his legs up in a breakdancing move, coming to rest on his back before leaping to his feet.

“Aw man! I missed me!” Sonic marvelled at how even his gloves had come back in the transformation, “Maybe it was temporary after all!”

“Maybe.” Shadow's smile was a relieved one, “Now let's go, and hope it doesn't come back.”

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of amazing I ended up posting this on Christmas day in real life, like it is in this chapter. Just in case I didn't make it obvious, this story runs off the logic that Sonic was born in 1991, so since he's 15 now, this chapter takes place on December 25th and 26th of 2006. Just...in case you were curious.


	6. Chapter 6

**December - Year 0**

Apotos was just as lively as Sonic remembered, with lots of white buildings and seagulls. There was less snow here, but it was still somewhat cold, enough that Sonic pulled his coat back out of hammerspace to warm himself.

“Are you hungry?”

Sonic turned to Shadow's voice. He hadn't been thinking about it, but the only thing he’d consumed all day was his morning cup of coffee, “Yeah, why?”

Shadow ducked towards a nearby food cart, and their new companion followed.

“Whoa!” the little guy was marvelling over the biggest ice cream cone Sonic had ever seen. Shadow bought something wrapped in paper, then he bought the ice cream for the little guy.

“Here.” Shadow handed the wrapped food to Sonic.

Sonic took it from Shadow. It smelled amazing. He moved the paper to find a chili dog inside, covered in red and green peppers. He took a huge bite, just realizing how hungry he was. He was afraid his stomach would hurt too much after what he'd just been through, but the lingering aches were only mostly in his muscles and skin, not his internal organs, which was a huge relief.

Sonic licked his lips as he threw the paper away, “Thanks, Shadow.”

“Yeah, this is great!” the little guy had to wrap his entire body around the ice cream cone just to hold it in the air, “I've never had anything like this!”

He had eaten all the chocolate chips off the top of the ice cream. It gave Sonic an idea.

Sonic licked some stray chili sauce off his glove, “Chip.”

Both his companions looked at him, “What?”

“Chip.” he repeated, “You've got to have something we can call you until you remember your real name, so how does Chip sound?”

“You're naming me after an ice cream!?” he twirled in the air, still holding his ice cream, “That's the coolest thing ever!”

Sonic nodded, “Chip it is, then.” he turned to leave, “Come on, you two! Let's see if we can't get some answers!”

***

Sonic stretched his arms over his head back in Station Square. The aches from the transformation were mostly gone, but his arms were still sore. He kept staring at his fingertips, remembering how they clawed through the ground that morning. He ran his tongue over his teeth again and again, remembering just how sharp they had been before he turned back. Why did that happen?

“Sonic.” Shadow took his arm, “Let's get out of town.”

His tone of voice gave Sonic goosebumps, “Why?”

“Because I have a theory.” Shadow let go to walk away, Chip close behind him, “I want to see if it's correct.”

Sonic had a sneaking suspicion, so he ran to catch up with the retreating hedgehog.

Sonic knew this forest. He'd grown up beside it before starting his adventure. If they went a little deeper into the masses of trees, you'd find Sonic's favorite tree, and eventually, Annie's Gaia temple.

Shadow stopped both of them in the forest, watching the sun as it slowly set over the horizon.

“Uh, Shadow?”

Shadow knelt down, placing both hands on Sonic's shoulders, “Just wait.” his gaze went back to the sun.

“Oh no.” he’d changed back when the sun came up, so when it set... “Shadow, I'm not going to-!”

“Sh...” Shadow slowly brought him down to his knees, “I don't know, but I figured we should be away from civilization when we found out.”

The sun was dipping further and further down, and Sonic felt all his muscles seize up. He'd been able to ignore the dull pain all day, but it was all coming back. Sonic lost his balance, and he fell into Shadow's arms.

“Shadow, don't let go!”

“I won't.” Shadow held his shaking frame close, “It's okay, I've got you.”

Sonic felt it all over again. The fur, the arms, the claws, he blacked out somewhere around the teeth.

By the time he came to, Shadow felt a lot smaller. He pulled away, his heartbeat too loud to think clearly.

“It looks like I was right.” Shadow had his hands on Sonic's oversized wrists, “Are you okay?”

Sonic forced his mouth to move around his teeth, his new rumbling voice making him dizzy, “Am I dead yet?”

He'd meant it as a joke, but Shadow cringed away from him.

“Sonic, don’t do that.”

Sonic dropped his stupid attempt at a smile, “Sorry.”

Chip flew around Sonic’s head, “Are you okay?”

Sonic was anything but okay, “I’m fine, it just hurts. Man, I can’t let anyone see me like this! What am I going to do!?”

Shadow stood up to begin pacing. He stopped under the dry tree branches, above the fallen snow.

“We’ll stay out here for the night.” Shadow decided, “Are you cold?”

Sonic’s coat had been ruined in the transformation, but he only hoped it would come back in the morning like his gloves had, “No, actually. Maybe it’s all this fur?”

“Okay.” Shadow sat down under the tree, leaning his back against it, “I’ll take you home in the morning, and then I have to go.”

“No, Shadow.” Sonic crossed his giant arms as he finally got to his feet, “You can’t just disappear again.”

“I can and I will.”

“Shadow!” Sonic was a lot taller in this form, so he knelt down to be on eye-level with his friend, “I’ve been worried about you all this time, and you can’t be bothered to stay!?”

“I did stay! I stayed long enough to help you!”

“What are you even doing when you’re away!?”

“That’s none of your business!”

“Guys!” Chip held his arms out, “What’s going on? What are you talking about?”

Sonic and Shadow snapped their attention to Chip. They had forgotten he was there.

“Sorry, Chip.” Sonic lowered his voice, “Shadow always runs away. I don’t know if he still feels guilty or what, but I’m always worried about him.”

“It has nothing to do with guilt.” Shadow looked away, “I have been busy, and it doesn’t concern you.”

“But it does!” Sonic shook his head, his longer quills swaying in the cold air, “How do you think I feel after what happened the _first_ time you disappeared?”

Shadow’s eyes widened, his gaze softening. Sonic blinked away the tears as they fell off his face and froze on the ground.

“Sonic...” Shadow smacked his forehead, his eyes shut, “I didn’t even think of that. I’m so sorry.”

“You’d better be.” wow, his new voice sounded so weird when he was crying, “I don’t care if you aren’t with us most of the time, but could you at least carry a cell phone or something? I need to know that you’re okay.”

“I can’t, Sonic.”

“What?” Sonic gaped at him, “What do you mean you can’t? You don’t even have to pay any money, Tails has all the expertise.”

“No, you don’t understand.” Shadow sheepishly stared at the ground, “I...I’m an old man. I don’t know how cell phones work. We didn’t have those on the Ark.”

Sonic scratched his head. Even though he had dangerously sharp claws, they didn’t break his skin. Was that part of the transformation too?

“Wait.” he finally said, “So you’re telling me that you let all of us worry, because you need the kids these days to explain technology to you?”

“Be quiet, faker!” Shadow snapped, “I know it’s stupid, but it took me too long just to figure out how a pistol worked! I’m not going to embarrass myself working with a cell phone.”

Sonic burst into laughter. It hurt his voice, but he kept laughing, one massive arm around his stomach while the other cupped his mouth.

_“It’s not funny!”_

“No, no Shadow!” Sonic finally regained control of himself, sitting down under the same tree, “I’m not laughing at you, it’s just...Tails planned for that. All the stuff he builds for himself is complicated, sure, but he makes a special effort to make stuff for other people easy to use. You think I knew what a cell phone was before Tails gave me one? I could use it with my eyes closed, and I’m an idiot!”

“Sonic, you’re not...”

“I know, it’s a joke.” Sonic pulled out his cellphone, “Here, let me show you.”

The three of them stayed under the tree until Shadow fell asleep, curling up in the grass as his chest slowly rose and fell. Chip landed on Sonic’s shoulder, looking down at the black hedgehog with something like curiosity.

Sonic knew that feeling. The one he always got near the emeralds before they were drained. Chip was radiating something like Chaos energy, but it wasn’t quite as chaotic. He felt like nature, the way the trees lost their leaves in autumn and sprouted flower buds in the spring. It was in that moment when Sonic realized that Chip’s identity was staring him right in the face.

“I know you.”

“Huh?” Chip got off his shoulder to stare at him, “Me? Why didn’t you say something?”

“Because I’ve never actually seen you before.” Sonic marvelled at the tiny creature, “At least, not like this.”

Chip tilted his head, comical considering the size of his body, “What are you talking about?”

“We’ve been friends for a long time, maybe even before I was born.” Sonic continued, “I’ve been looking for you, Gaia.”

Chip was Gaia. Or, at least Light Gaia. If Chip was the calm of snowfall, then Dark Gaia must be a blizzard. Even though Sonic loved nature, he knew it could be dangerous, but he got none of that from this creature in front of him.

“Gaia?” Chip furrowed his brow, distressed, “I’m sorry. I don’t remember.”

“I know. That’s not your fault.” Sonic turned to lean his side against the tree, “Weird. I haven’t slept at all in two days, why am I still not tired?”

“Wait, so you can help me!?” Chip flew right in Sonic’s face, “You can get my memories back!?”

“I hope so. I need to get to the Master Emerald. I hope Chaos is alright.” Sonic plucked the nervous creature out of the air, “Hey, don’t be upset. I’m not insulted that you don’t remember me.”

“I know, but...” Chip plopped onto the ground, “If you’ve never seen me before, then how do you know that I’m definitely Gaia?”

“Because Gaia is nature.” Sonic looked up at the stars, where the moon was shining down on them, “He gives off this kind of magical energy from all living things on the planet. You’re the only one I’ve met that gives me that exact same feeling. I guess it’s possible that you aren’t him at all, but there’s no doubt in my mind. You are Gaia.”

The certainty in his voice put Chip at ease, “Thanks, Sonic. Maybe that’s why I feel better in the grass...I mean, if what you say is true.”

“Mhm.” Sonic tucked his arms in close to his body, “I’m gonna at least try to sleep. Good night, Chip.”

Chip lay on his back, facing away from him, “Goodnight, Sonic.”

The moonlight shone on the back of Sonic’s eyelids as he finally fell asleep, and dreamed about all his muscles tearing during a mission, where everyone could see him.

***


	7. Chapter 7

**December - Year 0**

Sonic's eyes flew open. He stifled a scream. The sun was rising, and he was rapidly changing back. He squeezed his eyes shut until it was over. If he listened closely, he could almost hear his bones creaking and his muscles breaking as they reformed. It took him a second longer to realize that someone's arms were around him.

“Shadow?”

Shadow's head smelled like hay. He pulled away, “Are you alright?”

Their noses were nearly touching. Sonic fell back to the ground, “Ow.”

“I didn't mean to fall asleep. I'm sorry.”

“Don't apologize.” Sonic sat up, holding his head, “Where’s Chip?”

“I don’t know. He told me he would come right back.” Shadow offered a hand to Sonic to help him stand, and he took it gratefully, “Are you ready to go home?”

“Only if you’re coming with me.” Sonic kept his hold on Shadow’s hand, “You owe everyone an explanation, even if you don’t want to tell people what you’ve been doing.”

Shadow was stiff for a moment, but then he relaxed, “Fine.”

“Thank you.” Sonic’s coat was repaired when he changed back, so he pulled it tighter around himself and shoved his hands in its pockets, “Let’s find Chip, then we can go home.”

They walked at a comfortable pace, finding Chip nodding off in a field of flowers. As they headed towards the house where Sonic was living, he found himself slowing down, forcing Shadow to slow with him until they were going at a snail’s pace. Shadow didn’t bring it up at first, but finally he turned on his heel in irritation.

“Do you even want to see your friends?”

“What?” Sonic had been lost in thought. He paused, processing Shadow’s question, “Yes?”

“Sonic, I’m not sure if you knew this, but you’re not supposed to answer a question with a question.”

“Ugh! I don’t know!” Sonic walked back and forth, “How am I supposed to tell them what happened!? I haven’t been answering my phone, and I’ve been gone for two days! They’re going to hate me!”

“Don’t be so dramatic.”

“Shadow, I am the king of drama and you know this.”

“Fine fine, I understand, it’s unlike you.” Shadow smiled, “But I have a plan. Just follow along, okay? Nobody is going to hate you.”

Sonic almost believed him, “Okay.”

Shadow kept him going as far as the door. No sign of anyone yet. Chip landed on Sonic’s head, looking down at him with a compassionate smile. Sonic took a deep breath. Shadow opened the door.

“-and Sonic might be dead! We have to find him!” Tails turned around at the sound of the door.

Sonic stood in the doorway. All his friends were here, including his mom and siblings. He didn’t know what to do, until everyone opened their mouths to scream at the same time.

_“SONIC!”_

Sonic began to cry as everyone surrounded him. They weren’t mad at him. They didn’t hate him. He held Tails close to himself, and everyone else held him in a huge group hug.

“Where were you!?” Tails wiped his own tears away, “I thought Eggman had gotten to you! I thought you were dead! I’m sorry, it’s all my fault!”

“No, Tails...” Sonic gestured towards Shadow.

“Eggman had him captured, but I got him out.” Shadow lied so smoothly, it was almost scary, “I think something bad happened to him, but he won’t tell me what it is.”

Sonic mouthed a _thank you_ to him before addressing the rest of the group, “I’m okay now.”

“Huh?” Tails ran a thumb over Sonic’s arm, “What happened to your skin?”

Sonic looked down. His arms and chest were completely red, like they had been scratched raw. He realized it was from all the extra fur in his monster form, and his breathing sped up.

“Sonic, did Eggman do this to you!?” Knuckles punched into his other hand, “I’ll kill him!”

Sonic numbly nodded, “Don’t leave.”

He wanted nothing more than to tell his friends everything, but he wasn’t ready, and Eggman was sure to spill the beans on his monster form. He covered his face. Out of all the people who could have witnessed his first transformation into a beast, it _had_ to be Eggman. Of course.

“I’m sorry.”

Sonic lowered his hands to look at Tails.

“I know that little robot didn’t look like much, and you probably didn’t realize how serious I was about the danger. I really didn’t mean to get so mad at you, I was just scared, and...” Tails grabbed his face, “I didn’t mean to let the tension get so bad. I just want to forget about it, okay? Just try to listen to me from now on.”

Sonic swallowed, “I’m sorry too. I heard the urgency in your voice, and I should have listened. No more hard feelings?”

“No more hard feelings!” Tails hugged him again, and Sonic returned it.

Shadow was the only one who understood why he was still so stiff.

***

**December - Year 0**

It was almost the new year, and Sonic was still no closer to breaching the subject with his friends. Every evening before the sun set, he ran away, and he wasn’t seen again until the sun rose the next morning.

Of course, he was making everyone suspicious, especially when he stopped drinking coffee and the irritation of his skin came back with a vengeance every time he returned. Knuckles hit Sonic with what he thought was a friendly punch, but Sonic recoiled like it was a real attack. His back was sore for the rest of the day.

The guilt at keeping it from his friends was overpowering.

“So this Chaos guy,” Chip hovered nearby, flitting back and forth like a hummingbird, “Does he know me too?”

“Yeah, and he can hopefully help us figure out what's going on.” Sonic basked in the sunlight, even though it was mostly hidden behind gray clouds.

He didn't always appreciate the noonday sun, but now he dreaded the time when the sun went down. He hated how just looking at the moon made him feel, especially considering that sleeping in his tree in the moonlight used to be one of his favorite things to do.

The Master Emerald came into view, shaking Sonic from his musings, “If you are Gaia, then Chaos will know.”

Mighty sat up from where he was dozing, “Whoa Sonic, hold on.”

Sonic stopped, his shoes crunching in the snow, “What's wrong?”

“Sorry, it's just...” Mighty walked around the emerald like it was a bomb waiting to explode, “Chaos has been really upset since the planet broke apart. I can't get him to calm down.”

Sonic could tell. The emerald was audibly buzzing, “What about Knuckles?”

“No luck.” Mighty pushed Sonic back, “Look out!”

“Ah!” Sonic stumbled.

“Whoa whoa, hold on.” Mighty kept his hand up as he lifted his other hand towards the gem, “What happened? Does this have anything to do with what happened on Eggman's fleet?”

Sonic didn't answer. Chaos’ spirit inside the emerald was clashing with him, and it was giving him the same awful shooting pain in his body that turning into a monster did. Was Chaos sensing his new form? Was it masking his own signature from reaching the spirit?

“Sonic?” Mighty returned to grab Sonic's hands, “Hey, are you okay?”

Sonic stepped back.

“Sonic.” Chip held his shoulder, “Sonic, it's okay. You're still here.”

“I'm still here.” Sonic's voice cracked, but he patted down his chest and arms. No extra fur. He was still a normal hedgehog.

Mighty furrowed his brow, “Sonic, did you have something to do with this?”

“No!” his response was too quick, “No, just...let me talk to Chaos.”

“I can't let you do that, man. Chaos had a really bad reaction to you just now, wait for a second at least.”

Sonic stared into the gem, where Chaos was still angrily lashing out in the form of waves of chaos energy. He pulled his coat tighter around his arms, then he slipped past Mighty.

“Sonic!”

“OW!” Sonic flew back as he touched the emerald.

“Get back!” Mighty grabbed him to yank him away.

“M-Mighty...” Sonic attempted to break free, but the shock of touching the emerald had weakened him, _Chaos, It's me! It's Sonic! You don't need to be so angry! Please stop!_

It was a hasty prayer, but after he'd had those thoughts, the emerald's glow waned until the green glow was mostly gone, leaving a gentle gray color behind.

Sonic and Mighty had fallen off their feet in the assault. They looked at each other, then they slowly stood. Sonic put a hand on his chest, where his rib cage seemed too small to let him breathe properly. It burned.

“Let me try again.”

Mighty didn't stop him again. Sonic lifted a very shaky arm, retracted it to hold it close to his body, then he held his arm up with the other to touch the emerald and let himself be ripped away.

_Sonic._

_Sonic fell to his knees. Chaos didn't have a memory for him this time, as they had landed in a black and purple void. However, Something prickled just beneath his skin, and he could see something dark and inky run through his body, concentrating in his chest where his heart was beating too fast._

_Sonic, I am so sorry. Chaos held him in his arms. I didn't recognize you. I thought you had been destroyed with my emeralds._

_“You...” Sonic tore his attention away from his veins, “You thought I was dead?”_

_I lost all connection with the emeralds. Chaos tipped Sonic's head up to look at him. And you were in so much pain. I've never been more relieved to see you alive and well._

_Sonic rubbed the chill out of his arms, “What happened to me?”_

_He tried to spill everything about his monster form and how his friend with amnesia was probably Gaia, but the words wouldn't leave his mouth._

_Chaos manipulated the environment, and Sonic was in his monster form again. No pain this time, it was a simple change._

_Gaia has infected you. Chaos spoke in a low voice while Sonic eyed the way the darkness under his skin now shimmered over him like an aura. Don't worry, child. I know now what must have happened. When the planet broke apart, it awakened Gaia and caused him to lose his power, and it spread over the planet. It attached itself to you, perhaps because of your prior connection to me, and now his spirit rests inside of you._

_Sonic processed all of that information with a spinning head, “What about Chip?”_

_Chaos continued seamlessly. The small creature that accompanies you is none other than the conscious mind of Light Gaia, without his memories of being an ancient. The rest of him is scattered over the planet, including the piece that attached itself to you._

_Sonic stepped away from Chaos to rest on the ground. His shoes changed too? They were more metallic now, and covered in spikes._

_“Can you get rid of it?”_

_Chaos sadly shook his head. I can make your transformations less painful, but nothing more. I have no power over Gaia._

_Just like Sonar had no power over Lyric._

_“Okay.” Sonic stood with newfound determination, “I can handle that.”_

_I know you can. Chaos retreated into the darkness. Stay safe, Sonic._

Sonic opened his eyes in real life, back to his normal self. He lifted his hands to feel his ears, just to be safe.

“What happened?” Chip wanted to come closer, but was wary of the emerald, “Did you talk to Chaos?”

Sonic looked into those amber-brown eyes, not wanting to believe that Chip had been responsible for turning him into a monster. He clearly didn't remember it though, so he let the issue drop for now.

“Yeah.” he stretched his arms as he walked away, which carried phantom pains from the memory, “I did.”

He didn't elaborate, but Chip had a feeling that he would later.

***


	8. Chapter 8

**December - Year 0**

“Sonic.”

Tails stepped in front of him. Sonic had been about to leave for the evening, because he felt he should go early today in case he was confronted. It seems like that was a good idea, as the sun wouldn’t set for another few hours. Tails crossed his arms, tapping his foot.

His prior words flashed in Sonic’s mind, _“You don’t trust me.”_

“I have something I need to tell you.”

The words were out before he could stop them. It was like the guilt that cut him up inside were razor blades, and letting those words out freed some of them.

“Oh.” Tails shrugged, “Okay. I thought I was gonna have to grill it out of you.”

Sonic shook his head. He really wanted to tell Tails, he deserved to know, but how would he take it? He probably wouldn’t believe him at first, which might force Sonic to transform in front of him to prove it, but would that scare him? It was terrible enough being in the transformation, what did it look like from the outside!?

“Sonic?”

“Right, sorry.” Sonic brought both hands to rest behind his head, “I’ve been hiding something from you, but I had a reason for doing that.”

When he didn’t elaborate, Tails rolled his eyes, “Are you going to tell me now?”

“Um, yeah, just...” _yeesh, he forgave you! Just say something!_ “Um, it has to do with what Eggman did to me...I mean, it’s over! I’m fine, just...” he looked outside the window, “Just...don’t freak out.”

“just tell me!”

“Right, sorry.” Sonic took a deep breath, then let it out, “When I was at Eggman’s fortress in space, he stole the emeralds from me, and...he-!”

Before he could say another word, the window shattered, and Sonic and Tails fell to the ground, unconscious. The last thing Sonic saw as he blacked out was the dart stuck in the end of one of his friend’s tails.

Sonic woke up sluggishly. All he could register at first was the pain, which ripped through his entire body. He opened his eyes, the light of the full moon illuminating him where he passed out on the ground.

“No, not here! _Not now!”_

It was too late to run. He saw the tranquilizer sticking out of his arm, so he ripped it out, black spots dancing in his vision. He screamed, the sound echoing through the night as he transformed.

It was getting easier, he noticed. Not just because of Chaos, but because he'd been through it several times already and his body was adapting to it. He lay on his stomach, too drained to move. He was three inches from the broken glass of the window, just barely having escaped being cut open. Had he landed in it? He wouldn’t be able to distinguish it from the pain of the transformation.

“WHAT IS THAT!?”

Sonic knew that voice. He lifted his head, turning towards his friends as they stood at the door. Knuckles and Amy stood in front of the rest of the group, which included his mother.

_No, not like this..._

“It’s okay, we’ll protect you.” Knuckles faced him, ready for a fight with Amy right beside him.

Shadow was near the back, an apology in his gaze.

“No.” Sonic tried to stand, “Guys, it’s okay.”

“What are you doing in our house!?” Knuckles demanded, “And where’s Sonic!?”

Sonic swallowed around his teeth, _“Shadow...”_

He took that as his cue, “Everyone.” Shadow stepped in front of Amy and Knuckles, “This _is_ Sonic.”

“What?” Knuckles shot his gaze back and forth between the two, “You’re bluffing.”

“It’s true!” Chip flew to the front, blocking Sonic from his friends, “Sonic had something really freaky happen to him! That’s why he always leaves overnight.”

Knuckles took another look at Sonic, “I don’t believe you.”

“I wouldn’t either, Knux.” Sonic finally stood up, stretching his arms, _“Ow._ This is what Eggman did to me. I have no idea how, I don’t even think he meant to, but ever since the planet broke...”

Knuckles was putting the pieces together, “Your skin. The reason your skin was...!?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Nobody spoke for a long moment. Sonic watched everyone as their eyes filled with horror and pity.

“Sonic.” His mother, Aleena, was the first to step forward, reaching up to gently hold his face, “My baby boy. How could this happen? I’m so sorry.”

“I didn’t recognize you.” Amy reached for his hand, but he pulled it away, “Are you okay? Does it hurt!?”

“Hey, give him space.” Shadow broke the group apart.

“It's okay, Shadow.” Sonic gazed at the claws on his hands, “I'm just afraid of hurting someone.”

He saw the dart on the ground, and his memories of a few hours ago came back violently.

“Tails!” Sonic left the house, “Guys, have you seen Tails!?”

Amy reached for him, “We thought he was at home.”

“No, you don't understand!” Sonic held his head, “Tails was hit with something! A tranquilizer! I woke up and he was gone!”

“Dude, calm down!” Knuckles grabbed his wrist, “You'll wake up the whole neighborhood!”

“But Tails...” Sonic crumpled on the ground, “Tails..."

_I failed you again._

***

Tails woke up to a harsh light shining through his eyelids. His head was pounding, so he didn’t want to wake up, but when he realized he couldn’t move his arms, he reluctantly forced his eyes to open.

“Well, now. You put up less of a fight than I was expecting.”

Tails snapped his head up at the voice. He was strapped tightly to a metal chair, which pinned his arms to his sides. His tails were tied together, bound to the back of the chair with several wiry cords. He struggled against the restraints with no luck.

“Of course, I took the proper precautions, but still.”

A bead of sweat dropped from Tails’ forehead, “Who are you!? Where am I!? What happened to Sonic!?”

“Is that what he calls himself now?” the disembodied voice slithered closer, “But I’m honestly insulted. You played a hand in my destruction, surely you haven’t forgotten me already?”

Tails’ eyes widened as he stared at the shadowy figure that stalked closer to him. It wasn’t that he didn’t remember, it was just that he couldn’t be hearing any of this correctly. That soft voice that lingered on the S sounds, that slithering through the darkness...it couldn’t be.

The figure stepped into the harsh light, and Tails’ jaw dropped. His shoulders shook in fear.

“Lyric?”

The snake was intact. He had a scar all around his neck, but it was mostly covered by an even more robust robot shell than before. His scaly skin was dry.

“B-but that’s impossible!” Tails doubled down on his effort to break free, screaming not only in rage, but also in blind terror, “The ancients killed you! They cut your head off! You should be dead!”

“Did you truly believe I was dumb enough to allow myself to stay vulnerable to death?” Lyric inched closer. His breath smelled like burnt toast, “I stand by what I said all those years ago; Technology is the only thing you can trust.”

“Wait, so...” Tails tried to at least kick his legs up, but they were tied down too, “You aren’t organic at all?”

“Convincing, isn’t it?” Lyric laughed, “But enough about me, I need something from you, and you are going to give it to me.”

“No! Never!” Tails held onto his defiance, “Let me go!”

“No?” Lyric tsked in mock concern, “Well, that’s just too bad. I can’t send you home to your little friends, or you’d blab about me being alive. Ah, don’t worry, dear mortal. I’m sure we can still make this work.”

The way he said it made ice run in Tails’ veins.

“Perhaps I can persuade you.” Lyric slithered away from Tails to grip onto a lever in the back, “How does this sound?”

The chair lurched as Lyric pulled on the lever, and Tails was left feeling dizzy.

_“No.”_

“Be careful what you say to me, Tails.” Lyric continued to work the control on the spinning chair, “I think you’ll find that I won’t listen to you.”

“Stop! Stop it!” Tails cursed his sickness, resisting the urge to vomit, “Please, just let me go!”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“Yes you can! You can and you will!”

Lyric brought the chair to a stop, “Oh? Then are you willing to-!”

“NO!” Tails wanted to keep struggling, but it was quickly taking a toll on him.

Lyric’s grin became maniacal, “Fine, then. It’s your choice.”

Tails was spun around so much that he lost sight of which way was up and which was down. He forced himself to swallow the bile rising up his throat. It hurt so much that tears sprung from his eyes as he was twirled like a ceiling fan. He couldn’t even scream anymore, but he didn’t let himself break. He wouldn’t give this monster anything, no matter how stubborn it was.

Finally, Lyric hovered the chair over a small jail cell, and remotely released the straps so Tails fell on the hard mattress inside. The doors were shut tightly, and the drained fox was left panting on the small bed. Lyric was smart enough to know that if he tortured Tails too much, he would be too broken to give him any reliable information, so he decided to be patient and bide his time until he could crack the boy’s shell.

“Remember this, Tails; You will cooperate with me, no matter how long it takes.” he whispered as he left, his sinister laugh punctuated with a hiss, _“I’d give Sonar five years before he burns...”_

Tails held both hands over his mouth until Lyric was gone, then he leaned over the side of the bed to throw up on the floor.

He wiped his mouth with a tight fist, a glimmer in his eye.

_I won’t give you anything._

***


	9. Chapter 9

**January - Year 1**

Sonic blinked over the frost on his nose. He wasn’t sure what had woken him up, but he was outside in the branches of his favorite tree in the middle of the night, waiting to turn back to normal from his monster form. He was thinking of Tails.

_He still doesn’t know._

He couldn’t believe his luck. Sonic had been about to tell his friend everything, but then the others found out in the worst possible way and not him at all. What was going through Tails head right now? Who had captured him? And why couldn’t they find him despite how long they’d been looking?

He remembered what Annie had said. Someone took Lyric’s body from his tomb. Could those two events be connected? Was it possible...?

Someone cuddled up to him on the branches beside him, “How long are you going to stay out here?”

Sonic crossed his arms, “Leave me alone, Amy.”

Amy had another new dress; A short one with gold buttons that clung to her body. She also now had tall purple socks and purple sports tape around her arms beneath her golden bracelets. Right now of course it was too cold for just that, so she had a big pink coat zipped all the way up.

“Are you joking?”

Sonic looked down at her.

“You’ve been avoiding everyone for ages.” she puffed out her cheeks, “You still like us, right?”

Sonic laughed, his monster voice rumbling in his chest, “Well, you still keep me around.”

“Shut up!” Amy rested her head on his shoulder, “Isn’t it cold out here?”

“Amy, you’re the one with your arms around me.” Sonic carefully rested his hand behind Amy’s head so his claws didn’t touch her, “I’m really warm like this. Maybe it’s fate that I can’t be like this in the sun, it would probably kill me.”

“Sonic, you’re an idiot.”

“I can live with that.”

Amy snorted, “Stop doing that!”

“Doing what?”

Amy shifted so she was laying over Sonic’s chest, “Are you going to come home?”

“Yep,” Sonic stared into the light of the moon, “As soon as the sun comes up.”

“So you plan to keep isolating yourself all night?” Amy yanked his shoulders so he was sitting up.

“Amyyy!”

“You’re not really that ashamed of this form, are you?” Amy lay back on one of the other branches, keeping her arms around his, “We’re your friends, and you don’t even look that scary.”

“But I don’t like other people seeing me transform.” he crossed his legs over the side of his branch, “And what if someone in town recognized me as the famous hero, Sonic the Hedgehog? What if it was another friend? How would I explain it to them?”

“You mean like when people found out you spoke sign language because you sometimes just can’t talk?”

“That’s not-!” Sonic raised his hands, snapped his attention to them, then let them fall, “That’s different.”

Both of them looked around the forest as the harsh wind picked up and rustled the few dead leaves that were left among the snow.

“I’m sorry. I know it’s different.”

Sonic sighed, his breath visible in the air.

Amy stood up to carefully balance on her branch, “I have an idea. Maybe this form gives you new abilities that you can’t do normally. You might as well learn to function when you can’t be in the sun.”

“Psh. Whatever. I can’t even run like this, what makes you think it’ll be helpful?”

When he didn’t get an answer, he turned to realize she’d extended her hand to him.

“You never know until you try.”

Sonic couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his face, “Is that a challenge?” he took her hand, “You’re on!”

“Great!” Amy jumped out of the tree, landing with her knees bent, “See if you can keep up!”

Sonic climbed down the trunk of the tree much less gracefully, landing on his back after falling the last few feet to the grass.

“Ugh.” Sonic scratched his head as he scrambled to his feet, “Nevermind, I wanna go back to sleep.”

“Aw, you’re not giving up already, are you?” Amy took a few steps away before turning back to look at him, “Come on, you’ve got big arms, I bet you could throw a mean punch.”

“That’s how you rate potential dates.” Sonic flexed his arm, _“‘I bet they could throw a mean punch.’”_

_“I mean, it's true...”_ Amy mumbled under her breath before raising her voice, “Are you going to actually punch something, or should I just leave?”

Sonic rolled his eyes, “Yeesh, Ames. Don't get too excited.” he swung his arm around until he threw a punch into the distance. 

What he wasn't expecting was when his arm continued to fly into the distance until it flew back at him and he just narrowly avoided punching himself in the face.

“Whoa!” Sonic stared at his arm, holding his wrist with his other hand, “What did I just-!?”

Amy had her hands on her mouth in awe, “How did you do that!?”

Sonic tried again. He threw his arm into one of the taller trees, plucking off a single dry leaf from a high branch and bringing it back down.

“I don't know, but it's really precise.” Sonic threw his arm to place the leaf in Amy's quills.

“Hey!” she brushed the leaf off, “So you didn't lose any dexterity?”

“Apparently not.” Sonic flexed his fingers, “You'd think I'd been born doing this.”

“Let's see what else you can do!” Amy climbed onto the back of his head, “See if you can get us up there. Aim for that top branch!”

Sonic found the area she was pointing to over his head. He reeled back, then he reached for the branch, grabbing it tight and pulling himself up to it like a grappling hook.

“WHOA!” He slipped as he regained his footing, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Amy brushed her bangs out of her eyes, “Try again! Over there!”

Sonic zipped them back and forth between different branches and trees before bringing them to the ground, “Man, this is crazy!”

“Yeah! Imagine how useful this could be!”

Sonic snorted as he let Amy climb down, “Wow. Acting like I'm just a tool to be used? I have feelings, you know.”

“Oh I'm sure, coming from the guy who didn't know that his arms stretched for an entire month?” Amy's smile dropped, “Seriously though, why did it take you so long? Did you never think to try attacking in this form?”

Sonic hid his blush, scratching his head, “Um...”

“Did you literally leave the house every night to feel sorry for yourself?”

“NO! No.” Sonic kicked at the grass with his mutated shoes, “I still sleep, and the transformation saps my energy. I need my strength for the daytime hours, after all. I just don't have time to think about what this form can do.” Sonic folded his arms, an exaggerated action given the size of his arms, “And besides, I...don't like the idea of my friends seeing me like this. It's not me.”

Amy moved so she was in front of him, placing one hand over his. Her hands were small, even compared to his ordinary hands, but under her gloves, they were also calloused from years handling her heavy hammer.

“It is you.” she said, “You may look different on the outside, but it's clear you're still the same on the inside. You don't need to be ashamed of something you can't control.”

“I know, but...” Sonic rubbed his cheek with one of his massive palms, “Still. I'm not _ashamed_ of it, but it looks scary. It _feels_ scary. I don't need to be reminded of that by-!”

“SONIC! AMY!”

Both hedgehogs turned to Knuckles, who stopped to catch his breath.

“There you are, you're not gonna believe this!”

Knuckles opened the door to their house, where everyone was awake, and Shadow was banging his head on the wall.

“Rouge?” Sonic gestured to the bat, “What are you doing here?”

“Oh wow, Shadow wasn't kidding about you becoming a monster.”

Sonic rose an eyebrow towards Amy, who shot him an icy glare in response.

“I messed up.” Shadow punched the wall, “I messed up badly.”

_“My processors indicate that Shadow's mistake has a ninety six point seven percent chance of having astronomical consequences.”_ Omega was there too, his head nearly brushing the ceiling.

“What happened?” Sonic reached out to turn Shadow towards the group, “What was your mistake?”

_“This!”_

Shadow dropped something on the floor. It was two halves of an intricately carved staff, black in color, and with tiny gemstones that had no shine.

“I broke it!” Shadow began to pace, “I was meant to simply retrieve it to move it somewhere else, but I broke it on the goddamn concrete!”

“He's going to come back!” Silver was having a panic attack, rocking back and forth with Blaze's arms around him in front of the couch, “He's going to come back! I'll have to fight Iblis again! I can't do it, I can't!”

“You won't be alone.” Blaze was murmuring, “You will never be alone again.”

_“He's going to burn me alive!”_

Sonic was heartbroken seeing the normally composed hero so terrified.

“I'm such an idiot!” Shadow kicked one half of the staff under the coffee table, “It was such a simple mission, why did I drop it!?”

Sonic lifted the top half of the staff, finally recognizing its design.

“This is the scepter of darkness.”

“Yeah. That was the only thing that could contain the consciousness of Solaris.” Shadow took the piece from him, “Now that monster is free to roam around like he OWNS THE PLACE!”

He threw the piece of the staff at the wall. Sonic was afraid the staff would break again on impact, but instead the wall was drilled right through so it landed in the yard.

“We can't lose it!” Knuckles left through the front door to bring it back in, “I mean, unless you have _another_ magical artifact that can hold it!?”

“It's not going to get lost! And it's not going to break again!” Shadow hit his forehead on the wall again, “I can't believe this! I knew how fragile it was from the monster trying to escape, but I went and ruined everything!”

“Shadow, for crying out loud.” Rouge pushed him so he fell over the armrest of the smaller couch, “It was a simple accident. Any one of us could have been holding that thing, but it was you, and it's too late now to go back and fix it.”

An oppressive atmosphere hung over the room after that. Sonic was about to ask what the hell was happening, but then he stopped. There was one person they always turned to to get fast information in order to form a plan. They had already realized this before Sonic and Amy came back.

Tails wasn't here.

Sonic grit his sharp teeth, “Where is it now?”

Shadow sat up on the back of the couch, “The monster? It headed back toward Soleanna to find the crown of darkness. I tried to go after it, but goddamn is it good at hiding!”

“I can't do this again!” the accents on Silver's body flared as he hovered just above the ground, “I can't!”

“Silver, it's okay.” Blaze pulled him back down, “You won't. We can handle it without you. It's okay.”

The image of Silver crying was burned into Sonic's eyes. Even when he looked away, he could still see it in his mind.

He doubled over when the sun began to rise, and a few painful changes later, he was back to normal. Amy stroked his back until his tremors stopped, and he lifted his head.

“Let's get some sleep, then we'll leave for Soleanna.”

***


	10. Chapter 10

**March - Year 1**

Tails didn't see Lyric again for awhile. Judging by how often he was fed in his jail cell, it had been at least a month, though his head was too muddled to properly keep track. There was no one to clean the puddle of vomit he'd made, but he did find a few rags under the bed, so he could at least mop it up and push it aside so the smell didn't make him sick again. He remembered what was in that pile; Half of a ham and cheese sandwich. The last good meal he'd ever had, and he didn't even absorb it.

Mostly, he had a lot of time to think.

He was too smart to simply sit around and wait for someone to rescue him. Even though he was an emotional wreck right now, and all his electronics and tools had been taken away, he was going to figure something out until the security was loose enough to get out. He likely still wouldn't escape without outside help, but if he was stuck here, he was going to make it count. Somehow.

So when he saw Lyric again through the bars of his cage, he did his best to mask his excitement with his other feeling. The one of pure dread.

“Are you in the mood to play, child?”

Tails cowered on the bed, “No.”

“It wasn't a question.”

A claw came from the top entrance of the cage, grabbing the boy and strapping him to the same chair. Tails was panicking, but he forced himself to hold his goal in his mind even as the motions made his stomach clench painfully.

“I don't suppose you're ready to help me now?”

The chair came to a stop. Even though it had hardly moved compared to the last time, Tails was already dizzy from the memory of his previous trip.

He let his ears droop, pouring as much sadness as he could into his voice, “What do you want from me?”

“Ah, an inquiry. We're already making progress.” Lyric reached one of his robotic hands out to lift Tails’ chin, “I need your brains, mortal. My robots are impressive, yes, but they would be even more so if you gave me the secrets of the other ancients’ technology. I know you have it, so don't even try to pretend.”

Tails was a sponge when it came to information about robotics, especially coming from the other ancients like Annie, and unlike Sonic or Knuckles, he understood the information enough to apply that knowledge, provided he had the time and materials. He hadn't even considered that Lyric would try to pry it out of him after he'd learned it because, well, he didn't think Lyric was even still alive.

He didn't want to give the snake any ideas, but he asked the next logical question, “Why don't you just turn me into a robot?”

Lyric's cracked lips spread into a devilish grin, “I tried it once. Unfortunately, some information will always be lost in the process, and that is one of the gaps I intend to fill with your help.”

Lyric hadn't realized it, but this caused a huge light bulb to appear in Tails’ head. If Lyric can't turn organics into obedient robots without losing information, that meant it was totally possible that Lyric still had an organic brain, or a beating heart. Turning an organic creature into a robotic one was never easy, as there was obviously something fundamental about a person of flesh and blood not being able to fully integrate into one of metal and circuits. Tails knew exactly how to do it too, thanks to Platinum's expertise, but of course he held his tongue.

Lyric had a weakness, and Tails was determined to find it.

All of this flickered in Tails head within a second, and within the next, he realized he'd let his epiphany show on his face. He pursed his lips, containing his excitement behind a mask of indifference.

“Ah, so you do know.” Lyric retracted his arm, “If you help me, I will let you go. No more questions. I imagine I could treat you better than Sonar could anyway, considering he's a backstabber. I have an entire wing in my facility of lush beds and food as well. Just do what I want, and it's all yours.”

“Wow. That does sound tempting...” Tails’ mouth watered at the idea of having real food again. He pretended to seriously consider the idea before he shook his head, the action making his dizziness come back.

“So? Will you help me?”

Tails fixed Lyric with a glare, “You must think I'm an idiot. The answer is still no.”

“No?” Lyric acted hurt, “My dear child, I'm giving you a choice. Do you truly wish for me to make your suffering worse?”

The tone of voice sent tremors through Tails’ limbs, but he didn't let himself cave. _Together. Together. Together._ He repeated it like a mantra in his head, thrumming with the beating of his heart. He imagined Sonic was speaking softly in his ear, speaking those words of encouragement to him.

_“Hey, Tails, don't give up! We got this!”_ the Sonic in his head was saying, _“I'm coming to rescue you, just hold on until I get there, okay? We can do this together.”_

Tails took a deep breath to steady himself, though his voice still shook more than he would have liked, “No.”

_“Grrr. Fine.”_ Lyric tipped the chair upside down.

“AH!”

“Have fun with your motion sickness, pest.”

Tails tried to close his eyes and focus on the new information, but Lyric was merciless as he spun the chair around and around. He choked back his tears, forcing himself to swallow again and again, even though it killed him inside, lasting it out until Lyric finally let him back in his cage and throw up on the floor. Most of what he threw up this time was just water and that dry excuse for sustenance that he was fed, so it wasn't as gross at least.

“I will keep you here as long as it takes.” was Lyrics's last comment before he left Tails alone in the cell to keep thinking and thinking.

***

Sonic sighed, sliding out from underneath the old building's foundation, “Nothing.”

“Nothing?” Shadow closed the door of the shed nearby, “Not at all?”

Sonic shrugged.

“We've been at this for ages.” Knuckles joined them at the fence, “Do you really think this monster is hiding in town?”

“Well, I've already been through the fields.” Shadow motioned for them to follow him down the street, “You can head home, Sonic. The rest of us will keep going without you.”

“Without me?” Sonic looked up to see the sun would set within a few hours, “Oh.”

“I figured you should have a head start if you want to go.”

“Right...” Sonic's stomach sank, “Hey, listen, I want to find this guy as much as you do, but we clearly aren't making any progress. And besides, we still have a friend to find.”

“Tails...” Shadow stopped on the sidewalk back into the city, “If we don't find Solaris, then Tails won't be the only one to suffer. That scepter was my responsibility and I...”

He wrung his hands together, fiddling with the rings on his wrists but not taking them off.

“I blew it.”

Sonic walked past him slowly, “Hey, I've got an idea. Why don't we find where the crown is? Isn't the raw power where the monster will be heading anyway?”

Shadow's eyes widened, “Maybe. But the problem is that the crown is in the possession of Soleanna's royal family. The only way to find it is to ask the princess, who will inherit the crown after she turns eighteen and becomes the queen.”

“You mean Elise?” Silver landed near them, Amy and Blaze rejoining from other directions.

Shadow looked at him expectantly, “You know the princess?”

“Yeah. We met a long time ago.” Silver explained, “After...Solaris was contained and split in half the second time by the king, he sealed the demon away in the two artifacts and entrusted them to his only child before he died. I hardly remember it though, I was only four at the time, when Elise was seven.”

“How did you witness it, Silver?” Sonic was enraptured by the story.

“Because...it happened in my hometown...” Silver sniffed, but he'd already cried enough, “It killed my friends, but I managed to use my powers to fight it off, just long enough for the king to complete the ritual. He told Elise to never cry, and then he died too...”

Blaze stepped forward, but he held up his hand with a quick “I'm fine.”

“That's weird.” Sonic gestured for the group to keep walking, “Why would he tell his own child to never cry?”

“It must be connected to the crown somehow.” Shadow was musing aloud as he walked with his arms crossed, “After all, the scepter is kept in isolation while the crown has a special connection to the royal family. Maybe it's a hint.”

“Then that's our next destination.” Sonic walked backwards to look behind him, “Silver, can you get me an audience with the princess?”

“Maybe, but don't kid yourself. You're Sonic the Legendary Hedgehog. They'll probably just let you in.”

“Well, I just want to be safe. You know, royal courts an’ all.” _Better than sitting out here doing nothing._

“Sure.” Silver floated above the group, “I'll be back.”

“Yikes!” Sonic ran off when he noticed the sun was dipping, _“I'll see you guys later bye!”_

They watched him go with increasing unease, the sun quickly retreating until the stars came into view.

***


	11. Chapter 11

**April - Year 1**

“Do you remember any of this?”

Chip looked over the drawings inside Annie's Gaia temple, all about the ancients and their land. He didn't answer at first, simply lost in the lines and words. Finally he opened his mouth without turning around.

“They look familiar.”

Sonic joined him by the mural, hopeful. It was night outside, so he was in his monster form, “Familiar?”

Chip stared at each picture, “It says all this stuff about me, but none of that is familiar.”

“So what's familiar to you?”

Chip hugged his knees as he hovered in the air, “The others. I don't recognize their names, but...did I paint these myself? I almost feel like I made these brush strokes...”

Sonic searched his face for any sign that he was remembering anything, but instead, his face was pulled into a sad frown.

“I don't like it.” Chip huddled into Sonic's chest, “I thought I wanted to remember, but what if the truth is really bad? What if I made myself forget on purpose?”

“Huh?” Sonic put his hand over the trembling creature, “Why would you do that?”

“I don't know, but I just...it doesn't feel right.”

Sonic thought back to Chip's dilemma forcing the ancients to split him in half. Was he feeling that in his subconscious?

“You should keep trying to remember.” Sonic stroked his head the same way he used to for Tails, “After all, if you don't get back with Dark Gaia, then I can't get rid of this dumb werewolf form.”

“Heh. Sonic,”

“Or, I guess I'm a hedgehog, so...werehog?”

“Sonic, what if this is a mistake?” Chip flew up to face him, “I'm sorry you're stuck like this, but I don't want to remember anything if it gives me such a bad feeling.”

Sonic gazed into Chip's face. He was looking down now, twisting his hands together absently.

“Chip.” Sonic lifted an arm, but Chip flew farther away, “It's okay if you want to just go home, but would you really rather live in the dark than at least understand?”

Chip threw his fists up in frustration, “No! I want to remember just so I know, but I can't help but feel like something bad will happen if I do...”

Sonic looked over the drawings, not sure what to say.

“You'll have us.”

Annie appeared suddenly, her regal presence and blue dress shimmering in the darkness.

“Annie!” Sonic ran to her, “I thought you'd be drained from the emeralds!”

“No.” Annie smiled, tossing something to him, “I had a backup plan this time.”

Sonic caught it with one hand. It was a rectangular gem similar to a Chaos Emerald, “What is it?”

“That, my mortal friend, is a Sol Emerald.” Annie crossed her hands over her chest, “I borrowed it from Ember’s land of Sol, where she always kept them for us.”

Sonic gasped, “Blaze.”

“It is dangerous, however. These were made with the power of the sun, so they are only meant to be used in emergencies. Find our emeralds, charge them in our temples, and we will use our power to heal the Earth.”

Annie vanished, apparently having exhausted her limited power.

“Dang. I was gonna ask about Tails.” Sonic pocketed the emerald, noticing the distant gaze of his companion, “Chip?”

Chip shook his head, his eyes shut.

“I want to remember.” he headed for the exit, “Let's gather more clues.”

He pulled a chocolate bar out to start munching on it before Sonic slowly trailed after him.

***

**May - Year 1**

Sonic made his way down the streets of Soleanna, filled with bustling people out to go to work or school or whatever else. It wasn't like Sonic was lost, the castle was impossible to miss, but he was finding himself becoming incredibly nervous. He'd never met a princess before, was there some kind of etiquette he'd have to follow? Specific rules? A code of honor? He wasn't sure, but he took his time meandering instead of heading directly there. He was still a few minutes early anyway, he had time to spare.

When he approached the guards at the gate, which was shut tight, they took one look at him and opened the way to the courtyard. Well, there was that. He supposed that maybe blue hedgehogs were rare.

The castle was the same story, except the guards at the front door actually asked for his name to confirm his identity, then they opened the double doors for him. He felt awkward just waltzing his way into a castle, but he didn't let himself think too hard about it. The doors shut behind him.

Inside the throne room, a human woman sat on the large plush throne at the end of a red carpet. She looked up from her phone when Sonic entered, a smile forming on her face.

“I've been expecting you, hero.” she stood up, towering over Sonic by at least two feet, “My name is Princess Elise of Soleanna. Your reputation really carries here, Sonic the Hedgehog.”

Sonic found himself unable to speak. Elise wore all white, with feathers in her bright red hair. Sonic realized he was staring as a blush crept onto his face.

“Uh, mm, yeah.” What was going on? Why couldn't he speak?

“Not much for words? That's okay.” Elise never lost her cheerful smile, “So, you're here to check on the crown of darkness, is that right?”

“Yes, that. That's the reason I'm here, and uh, yep.”

_You're such an idiot!_

“I see. Well, you don't need to worry. I have the crown locked away until I can assume the role of queen. It can't break the same way the scepter can.” Elise maintained her poise like she had needles in her collar, and yet she still seemed so carefree and relaxed, “I would have simply sent a letter to tell you this, but I'm afraid I had no way to contact you. I trust you'd accept a summon though, if such a situation required one.”

_Okay, don't mess this up,_ “Yes, of course. A summons. Great. Yeah. That would work, probably.”

Elise's smile turned playful as her eyelids fell, “This is odd. I was told you were quite charismatic. Has something got your tongue?”

“Uhhh...” Sonic could feel the heat in his ears now, “I-I'm sorry, I'm not usually like this, I don't know what's making me so nervous.”

“I understand. Not many people know how to talk to a princess.”

“Yeah, of course.” Sonic covered his embarrassment with a smile, “I've never met royalty before.”

“It's alright. We are people, just like anybody else. You don't need to talk to me differently.”

Sonic looked up. Elise held compassion and warmth in those gray-blue eyes. It made him calm down a little, realizing just how sincere she really was. He'd heard stories of Soleanna's kind and carefree princess before obviously, but they didn't compare to the real thing.

“Oh, while I'm thinking about it.” Sonic was glad for the change of subject, even if it was unpleasant, “My friend was kidnapped recently. Think you can tell your guards to keep an eye out for a yellow fox cub with two tails?”

“Oh dear.” Elise's smile fell, but only for a moment, “I will tell my guards immediately.”

“Thank you. That means the world to me.” with his business concluded, Sonic headed back for the doors, and the guards on the inside opened them for him.

“Actually, I have one more question.”

Elise gave him a nod, tucking a stray red hair behind her ear.

“Um, don't take this the wrong way, but...” Sonic steeled his nerves, “Can I see you again?”

Elise seemed a tad surprised by the question, but she laced her fingers together in front of her, “You're welcome here anytime you'd like, Sonic. Please tell me if there's anything I can do to help you.”

“Okay.” Sonic tried not to seem too giddy as he left, “Sayonara, your majesty!”

“Goodbye.”

Sonic wasn't sure what he was feeling, but he wondered if this is what “love-at-first-sight” was like. He'd heard of course that you can't fall in love with someone the second you lay your eyes on them, but he couldn't deny that something was inexplicably drawing him to Elise. Did he have a crush? But that didn't seem right either. Maybe she was just such an inviting and all around beautiful person that Sonic found himself wanting to befriend her. It wasn't the first time this had happened either. He had the same draw towards Knuckles, Shadow, and even Amy, but it was never this intense.

He was scratching his head as he headed back home. Did he want to woo her, like, romantically?

His head was in so many circles that it only just registered that they were no closer to finding the monster.

***


	12. Chapter 12

**July - Year 1**

“I can’t fight him again.” Silver repeated, his hands over his head, “I can’t.”

Sonic had pulled Silver to the side of the street, where he was still talking like he would die if he stopped.

“Silver, nobody is asking you to fight this thing.” Sonic tightly gripped Silver’s shoulders, “We can do it if you can’t. It’s okay.”

Silver nodded, his tears instantly calming him, “Right. Yeah. I’m okay. _Ugh!”_

He continued at a brisk walk, leaving Sonic to run after him.

“Silver, are you afraid of finding the monster?”

Silver didn’t look back at him, “I’m afraid of how he’s changed. He doesn’t sleep in the scepter, so he has had ten more years on top of the thousands before that to plot an escape. How will he even react when he sees me? Will he recognize me? And what do I do if he does?”

“Hey, it’s alright.” Sonic linked his arm with the white hedgehog’s, “You won’t be alone this time.”

“He could kill you.”

“Perhaps.” Sonic smiled, “But I wouldn’t worry about that. I’ve got a back up plan.”

Silver shrugged his arm out of Sonic’s grasp, “That hardly makes me feel better.”

_“Sonic, look out!”_

Sonic turned towards Amy’s voice just in time to deflect a badnik attack, _“Whoa!”_ he jumped in the air to crush the rest of the small army that circled around him.

“Nice save.” Amy landed next to him, her hammer tight in her hands, “Hi, Silver.”

Silver held the next group of attackers with his powers, forcing them to explode by pulling them apart, “Where are all of these coming from?”

Sonic stood back-to-back with his two friends, preparing for any stragglers that might slip through Silver's focus, “Um, probably Eggman? I mean, just a guess.”

“No, Sonic...” Silver dropped his concentration just enough to turn in his direction, “Do you really think Eggman has been sending all these robots after us? Look at the way they're moving. It's too...static. I don't know, It's not right.”

Sonic didn't see a difference, but he supposed that if you were directly handling things with your mind, it would be easier to tell the difference between specific components, “But these are his robots. If he isn't the one sending them, then who is?”

Silver didn't answer. There was a twitch in his brow as he thought. They only knew one villain who could easily control any robot, but if Silver was considering the idea, he didn't say so. The rest of the robots were wiped out, and the street was left silent and calm.

When Amy was sure the calm would last, she turned to the two boys, “Guys, I know who took Tails.”

“You do!?” Sonic dramatically fell to his knees in front of her, “Finally! _Good news!”_

“Yeah yeah, just promise you won't make fun of me.”

Sonic paused as he was swiping an arm over his forehead. Amy was smiling playfully, but her eyes held something glassy and cold. It made Sonic’s next joke die down in his throat.

“Amy?” Sonic got back to his feet, his gaze darting between her and Silver until he crossed his arms, “What is it?”

“Well,” Amy looked over her shoulder, but the street was still empty, “Do you remember what my mom used to do for work?”

Amy didn't talk about her mom too often, so Sonic had to really reach back to remember, “Oh, she was a fortune teller, right?”

“That’s right. I found some of her old things recently, and decided to try using some of her charms and stuff.”

“What does that have to do with Tails?”

“Well, um,” Amy leaned into the handle of her hammer, “One of the things I found was a pack of tarot cards. I was bored, so I shuffled them and took the first card off the top of the stack...”

Her gaze became distant.

“So,” Silver combed back his bangs with his fingers, “Which card did you pull?”

Amy's gaze dropped to the cobblestones that lined the street, “The snake.” she held the card out for them to see, “If this card is taken, it means an enemy from the past is coming back to haunt you.”

Sonic felt an inexplicable chill gazing at the snake card. It depicted a green snake coiled around a wreath of leafy branches, its jaws poised to bite.

Silver found his voice first, “Your mom was an actual fortune teller.”

“I know, right? If I had known this would work, I would have tried it a long time ago!”

“Then, you know where Tails is!?” Sonic pleaded hopefully.

“Yes.” Amy stashed the card and her hammer, “Let's get the others and figure this out.”

***

**August - Year 1**

Tails heaved over the side of the bed one last time. Lyric may not be merciful, but at least he was predictable. Tails had found the pattern Lyric used in his torture methods. Every third weekend, the snake would either choose to torture Tails, or choose not to torture Tails. If Lyric arrived back at base before 2:30 am, Tails would be tortured, but any later and he was off the hook.

Tails kept meticulous track of every day that passed. He would be fed after four hours, then after eight hours, then after twelve hours before it would repeat. Each of these cycles counted as one day, so Tails would scratch that into the wall of his cell. He could also see Lyric occasionally appear and disappear in the hallway. The first time it happened, Tails froze in cold terror, but he had continued on like he'd forgotten Tails was even there. It was when he noticed the digital clock on the console just outside his window. It didn't look like a clock at all, in fact Tails initially thought it was some kind of game or puzzle, but it kept a steady pace, like cogs in a big clock. Two ticks, then three, then none. Two thirty am. If it was four thirty five, he would see four ticks, then three, then five. If it was eight pm, there were twenty consecutive ticks.

Anyone else would surely have missed these details, but not Tails. He was one to lose his mind if he didn't know the day or the time, so he picked up on as many details as he could to gauge approximately how long it had been since his last mark, the last set of ticks...

That's why Tails held still, staring at his crude calendar. It was the third weekend, and Lyric had gotten back late the previous third weekend. Shadows played on the back of his eyelids, making it impossible to sleep. He'd been chewing on his spare cloth gloves until the threads began to unravel, showing the bleeding scabs underneath. He knew he was close to breaking. He was so sure he would have been able to find some way out before this, but he was going to cave under the pressure first. He'd hardly eaten anything all day, and the emptiness didn't help the sickness that rolled around inside him.

He had been dry-heaving preemptively anyway. Constantly. He tried not to think about how the chair swayed and spun, but he did anyway, and each time, the memory was so vivid it was as if it was happening all over again.

One more minute passed. Two ticks. Two more. Then nine.

Almost time. He heaved again.

In that same moment though, every light in the facility shut off as a distant crash echoed against the metal walls. Tails stopped heaving, and his feeling of sickness was replaced with a dim glimmer of hope.

Sonic. Was he here?

***


	13. Chapter 13

**August - Year 1**

Sonic ran through the facility in a wolf-like frenzy, as his team had only managed to break in during the night. This wasn't their first attempt, of course. It was maybe their twentieth, or fiftieth attempt. He didn't know, he lost track.

Finally, after so many failed attempts of having to retreat from showers of raining bullets or turrets or other battle robots, he was inside. He didn't celebrate yet, though. He still had a fox to save.

“Sonic!?”

Sonic instinctively lashed out at the robotic voice, but the tiny thing dodged.

“Wait wait! Shush!” it waved its arms, darting back and forth in obvious paranoia, “Lyric will hear you! Give me one second!”

Sonic realized who the robot was. Lyric’s minion Q-N-C. Sonic only held himself back because he remembered the way the poor bot was backhanded by his master before he was supposedly killed.

“Don't say anything to Lyric.” Q-N-C closed all the doors aside from the one Sonic had entered from and one more leading deeper into the facility, “You're here for the fox, right?”

Sonic sensed his urgency and nodded.

“Right.” He left through a chute in the corner, “Remember, I wasn't here!”

Sonic wondered if maybe it was a trap, but he didn't stop. He ran through the new hallway, using his beefy arms to push himself forward since he lost so much of his speed in his werehog form. He figured if he had this much strength in his arms, he would put it to good use.

The path Q-N-C had opened for him led directly to a straight hallway with a dim blue light coming from one of the doorways. Sonic ducked his head inside.

It was so dark that he could barely see anything, but he did make out one huddled figure in a cell behind the far wall. The walls around the small door in the bars obscured most of his view, but the twin tails were unmistakable.

“Tails!” Sonic ran to the bars.

Tails flinched away from the sound, lifting his eyes to the newcomer. The most foul smell hit Sonic in the next moment, and he tugged on the bars to gauge their strength.

He realized why Tails might be so silent, “Tails, it's me. Are you okay?”

“Sonic? Is that you?” Tails swayed on his feet as he carefully stop on the ground to grip the bars below Sonic's hands.

The limited light washed over the child, and Sonic's heart gave a hearty pang. Tails’ skin and fur hung off his frame, like it wasn't fully connected to the bones underneath. He had dark circles under his eyes, his skin was pale, and he was constantly shivering. His brilliant blue eyes, on the other hand, were unchanged. They contained the same spark they always had, with an edge of defiance.

Lyric hadn't managed to break Tails.

“Yeah, it's me, buddy.” Sonic found himself smiling. His friend was clearly in bad shape, but he was still intact on the inside, which was a huge relief, “I need you to get out of the way, though. I'm gonna break you out.”

“Oh, yeah.” Tails slid along the wall, one hand on his stomach, until he was out of sight.

Sonic ran backwards, charging up enough energy in his arm to punch straight through the bars. He threw three punches, each one bending the bars until the door broke clean off its hinges and made a huge crack form on the back wall, which was covered in orderly tally marks. The screeching and grinding tore through the previous intense silence, until the door thumped to the ground and the silence returned.

Sonic stepped inside, “Tails?”

_“He-here...”_

Tails was trembling even worse than before, his ears flat against his head. Sonic was as gentle as he could, lifting the boy into his arms and holding him close.

“Yikes, you're so cold.”

Tails buried his face and his free arm in the fur of Sonic’s chest, “You're here. It's you, _it's really you...”_

“Yeah, buddy. It's me.” Sonic left the room, backtracking to the area where he'd come from. He couldn't run because one of his arms was full, but he still walked at a decent pace, “What in the world happened to you?”

Tails’ words slurred a bit as he spoke, “Um, Lyric wanted me to, uhhh...work for him or something?”

The blanket of Tails’ cocoon in Sonic’s fur was so cozy that Tails was quickly falling asleep. Sonic's heartbeat was strong beneath Tails’ ear. It made him feel safer than he’d been in eight months. Sonic decided now wasn't the best time for questions.

“Sonic?”

Sonic peeked around the corner where he'd encountered Q-N-C. The room was empty now, “Yeah?”

Tails lifted his swimming head, “What happened to you? Why are you...?”

“Oh. Right.” he'd had this form for long enough now that he'd almost forgotten about it, “It was something Eggman did. He broke the planet apart, and ever since, I turn into this at night.”

“He broke the-!?” Tails wrapped both arms around his stomach, groaning in pain.

“Tails?” Sonic slowed, making sure there was nothing behind him or blocking his way out, “Hey, buddy, you okay?”

_“Ughh...”_ Tails had nothing left to throw up, but he still swallowed and tried to regulate his breathing, “F-fine. _Please don't let this be a dream...”_

The last part was mumbled so softly, but Sonic heard it anyway, probably due to his close proximity and heightened werehog senses, “Why would you dream your brother saved you as some kind of monstrous wolf-like hybrid?”

Tails gave a weak chuckle, “Yeah. That does seem odd.”

Sonic frowned at the way he wheezed, “Hey, It's okay, buddy. We'll get you home, and-!”

Every door suddenly slammed shut. Sonic stumbled back. He'd tripped an infrared sensor.

_“There you are...”_

That voice! Tails visibly stiffened, wide awake as he whimpered and clung tight to Sonic's shoulders. The reaction made anger flare in his chest. What had this thing done to him!?

_“I knew something was off.”_ the hissing permeated through the speakers that lined the ceiling, _“Q-N-C, you know what to do.”_

“Right away, sir!”

Q-N-C appeared from a panel in the wall, pulling a lever on a nearby computer console and filling the room with robots. All of the urgency and sorrow Sonic had seen in him previously was gone, replaced with smug indifference.

“Sorry, kiddo.” he saluted mockingly as he left, “That's just business.”

Sonic shielded Tails from the onslaught, realizing he couldn't fight if he was holding him. With this in mind, he shifted Tails in his left arm so that he was holding him close to his body, with Tails’ head by his neck.

“Hold on tight, kiddo.”

Tails’ grip was weak, but he held as firm as he could.

Sonic let his right arm fly forward, punching through a whole group of robots and through the door that led out. Sonic opened his hand in the hallway, searching for something he could grab.

“Aha!” Sonic pulled his arm taut as his fingers closed around a distant doorway, “Here we GO!”

He used his own head to shield Tails as he shot forward, tearing through everything in his path and shooting all the way out past the doorway he'd grabbed. He used the spikes on the soles of his shoes to break through the outer wall of the fortress and into the night.

Sonic landed outside, hiding in the forest until the robots cleared and the world was quiet. It was then when Sonic registered that Tails had stopped breathing.

“Tails!?” Sonic propped him up against a tree, “Tails, buddy, are you okay!?”

Tails leaned over, falling on his hands and knees as he wretched. All that came out was slimy stomach acid.

“Tails, _Tails...”_

Tails’ tears mixed in with the bile, “I want to go home. Please let me go home.”

“Yeah, okay, yeah.” Sonic lifted the drained fox into his arms, “It's okay. I've got you. You're okay.”

Sonic’s deep monster voice rumbled in his chest, so as Tails snuggled up to him, it made him realize how tired he was. He was fast asleep before Sonic began to carry him away. The night stretched onward as Sonic walked. The sun would still be down for at least a few more hours, but luckily, he wouldn't have to run the whole way.

He stopped at the Tornado 2. There was nobody there.

***


	14. Chapter 14

**August - Year 1**

“What?” Sonic looked around him in confusion. He could easily fly the plane in his taller, bulkier form, so that wasn't what was concerning him.

He lay Tails in the seat of the plane as he continued to doze, gazing into the woods until he spotted a shock of red as it whizzed past.

“Knuckles?” Sonic reached out to pluck Knuckles from the forest, “Hey, what gives? You were supposed to be there for...”

The words trailed away when Sonic saw the look in Knuckles’ eyes. It was an expression he hadn't seen on the echidna in a long time. It was distant, like he was sleepwalking, but the crease of his brow and the quivering of his lip gave away just how awake he really was.

“Knuckles, are you okay?” it was a stupid question, but he felt he had to ask anyway.

Knuckles didn't answer as he was set down. He stood on his own legs just fine, but he didn't give any other indication that he was even there. Finally, he opened his mouth, only for it to end in a toothy grimace.

“It doesn't matter.” he murmured, “It doesn't matter if I'm okay. I'm a failure. I can't be relied on for anything. I'm an idiot.”

“What?” Sonic didn't miss the cloudiness that filled Knuckles’ violet irises, “Who told you that?”

Knuckles shook his head, a bit of anger ebbing into his melancholy, “Everyone. Because It's true. The Master Emerald hadn't been stolen even once while Mighty takes care of it, but it was taken from me at least three times. THREE TIMES!”

His outburst made him shake his fists in the air, but afterwards he slumped over again.

“I'm a failure.”

Knuckles was so defeated. How could Sonic get him to snap out of it? He'd only acted this way one other time, and that was years ago. He'd recovered just fine then.

“Huh?” Knuckles cocked his head, but showed no other signs of confusion, “What are you doing here, Tails?”

“What?” Sonic turned, reaching his arms out before Tails could stumble out of the plane, “Whoa, buddy! What are you-!?”

Tails had the same distant cloudiness in his eyes, “I'm just a child. Just a little crybaby child.”

“Sonic!”

Sonic turned to the new voice. Chip appeared from between the trees, holding a giant camera.

_“Hold still!”_

The flash clicked, bathing them in harsh white light for a split second. Sonic felt his werehog form violently shrink away, like he was about to turn back, but in the next second, he had snapped back. Tails was slumped over in his arms, and Knuckles was shaking his head.

“Huh? What was I...?” Knuckles lost all the cloudiness in his gaze, “Hey! Incoming!”

Dark monsters had been released from the two others, and Chip caught Sonic's eye to give a thumbs up.

“Alright, let's go!”

Sonic threw his arm past Knuckles’ head to claw through the first set of monsters, then he twisted his body to slam one of the smaller ones into the larger beast that had been controlling Tails. Each time he made a hit, the darkness in his own body reacted. It was sort of subtle, but it made Sonic realize that these things must be pieces of Dark Gaia. It seemed obvious after the fact, but they didn't look anything like the earthy monsters Gaia was more often known for in history books. They were closer to black frogs with huge arms.

This was familiar to him by now. The longer he fought, the easier it was to tear through the monsters. It was funny that the longer he would run during the day, the more tired he would be when he finally slowed down, but the fragment inside him was pushing him to keep fighting. It didn't worry him, though. He knew he still had complete control of his feral form.

This was confirmed when he finally got through the last monster. All of them fizzled away into the night, leaving dark black smoke as they left.

He let his heart rate slow down (though it never got uncomfortably fast, he had a strong heart even without this form) before he looked behind him at Tails.

Knuckles had pitched in to help with the fight, but Tails was sitting against the plane, his eyes wide and his hand over his mouth. When Sonic turned to him, he flinched away, but he kept his eyes on his friend.

“Hey, buddy.” Sonic knelt to gently lift him up, “It's okay, it's still me.”

“Right, of course.” Tails sighed as he nuzzled into Sonic's chest, “Sorry.”

“Hey, no worries.” Sonic held his friend close as he stood, “Knuckles, what happened?”

“I was about to ask _you_ that!” Knuckles gazed into the forest, “I don't know what happened! The last thing I remember I was at my post, and now I'm here! Sorry I couldn't help with the rescue...”

“It was Dark Gaia.” Chip set the giant camera down on the ground, “There's a pocket in the planet nearby that this factory is using to reap its power.”

Sonic set Tails in the front passenger seat to sleep, “Where's the pocket?”

“Over there.” Chip pointed to an area close to where Sonic had broken out of the facility, “It's pretty potent, too.”

Knuckles stood on the plane to look around, “So it just took our bodies and knocked us out?”

“No, you were still perfectly aware.” Chip was so small next to the huge camera that he could lean comfortably against it, “But you weren't forming any new memories. The Gaia fragments had control of your brain.”

Sonic leaned on the nose of the plane, mirroring the way Chip leaned on his camera, “How do you know that, Chip?”

“Um...” Chip shifted uncomfortably, “I’ve been remembering. Slowly.”

“Oh.” Sonic headed for the woods, “We need to get out of here. Let’s find Amy and go.”

All of them gathered in the plane to leave. Amy hadn’t been affected much by the Gaia invasion, but she had become lost, so Chip was happy to lead her back. The plane took to the sky, heading in the direction of the sun.

By the time they landed at home, The first rays of the morning sun were rising over the grassy hills in the distance. Sonic took a deep breath. The transformation was getting less and less painful overtime, so all he had to deal with now were the chills and tremors. He stood in his hedgehog form, rubbing the aching soreness from his arms.

He looked up, shaking his head, only to realize that Tails was staring at him.

“Sonic.” he held his friend in a hug, “It’s you. It’s really you.”

Sonic carried him into the house, “Yeah, bud. It’s me.

“It’s me. You’re okay.”

***


	15. Chapter 15

**September - Year 1**

“Lyric is alive.”

Sonic rubbed his forehead, slumped over on the couch. He had expected that, but hearing it so definitively confirmed was much worse than having a vague suspicion.

“He had a huge scar all around his neck.” Tails was explaining. He couldn’t hold down anything he ate, so his plate of plain crackers lay abandoned on the coffee table, “It turns out, he isn’t organic at all. He’s replaced everything with robotic parts, so as long as he has that, we can’t kill him.”

The sunlight streamed into the room, casting a hazy glow over the living room and warming Sonic’s clammy skin. It was a nice contrast to the reality that was seeping into him and making him shiver despite the warmth. Amy would appear in the living room, stop at the front door, then walk back into the kitchen, disappearing around the doorway. Her footsteps helped Sonic stay in the present and keep thinking, instead of falling backwards into panic.

“Gaia, Solaris, and now Lyric?” Sonic fell so he was sprawled over the cushions, “What’s next, a haunted marching band!?”

“Sonic, shut up.” Tails grabbed a blanket from the floor to lay on his side, moving slowly so as not to further upset his stomach, “We don’t want to jinx it. Just watch, Eggman is three seconds away from floating through the walls to steal our leftover takeout.”

“Please no!” Sonic threw his leg up, his heel connecting with the wall, “Hey Egghead, if you’re listening, DON’T!”

Tails gave a quiet, hoarse laugh.

“Seriously, though. Tails.” Sonic rested one of his legs over the backrest of the couch and one over the armrest, his gaze fixed on the ceiling, “Give it to me straight. What happened in there?”

Tails refused to talk about the torture, but he still considered Sonic’s question, “He wanted me to help him build robots.”

_Okay. Not so bad, I guess._

“It was fascinating, though, because he didn’t realize how much he was giving away by specifying what he wanted me to build! I won’t bore you with the details, you probably wouldn’t understand most of it anyway, but I walked away with his secrets, and that’s the important thing!”

“Thanks for sparing me the sciency stuff.”

“You’re welcome.” Tails rolled his eyes good-naturedly, “So long story short, there’s a limit to how well Lyric can roboticize people. He wanted to just turn me into a robot, but I would have lost the very information he was looking for.”

“He wanted to turn you into a robot!?” Sonic’s head spun at the idea. It had taken them so long to rescue Tails, they could have easily been too late.

“Uhh...” Tails bit his lip, “It’s okay, like I said, he didn’t, so it’s okay.”

“But what if he had!?”

Amy stopped in her pacing. The silence without her footsteps was heavy.

“But he didn’t.” Tails repeated, “He didn’t, and he couldn’t unless I told him how to do it.”

“So wait, you know how to completely roboticize someone?” Sonic propped himself up on his elbows.

“I do!” Tails smile was bright behind the dark circles under his eyes, “But of course, I never would. Not unless there was an extreme circumstance. I mostly learned because I was curious, but now that we know Lyric is still alive, it could help us destroy him for real!”

“Really? How?” Amy sat next to Tails on the smaller couch, “Aren’t robots harder to kill?”

“That’s not the point.” Tails fumbled for a second as he moved to sit up, “Okay, think about it this way; Lyric’s knowledge has clear gaps in it. He can’t fully roboticize himself without losing information, so he must have an organic brain that connects to the rest of his robotic parts. It’s integrated to the point that he’s a near perfect cyborg, and I’m sure he thinks it’s seamless, but the reason robotization is so hard in the first place is because of the disconnect between organic compounds and robotic parts.”

“So...” Sonic tried to follow, “If we destroy his brain, that would work?”

“Yes! Lyric can’t have any backups of his memories due to his nature as an incomplete cyborg, so all we would have to do is make sure his brain is destroyed.”

“All we would have to do.” Knuckles’ voice came from the other room, “Remember how hard it was to kill him the first time? It took everything we had, and it easily could have killed us instead!”

Sonic swallowed, “We have to try. Lyric wants to destroy all life on Earth.”

“But we don’t even have the Chaos Emeralds!” Amy crossed her arms to lean back on the couch, “How do we find them when they’re drained and scattered all over a broken planet?”

Sonic hid his face in the couch. Three ancients they would have to find and neutralize. If they were lucky, maybe Eggman was dead. Or in hiding. Maybe he would try helping them again, not that Sonic would let him after what happened last time.

“GUYS!”

Silver burst through the front door, though his powers were precise enough that no damage was done to the frame or surrounding wall. What a relief.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“We’ve found the location of the monster.” Blaze was right behind him, “He’s in the town square of Soleanna’s capital!”

“I know where that is.” Sonic jumped to his feet on the ground, “Tails, stay here.”

“No!” he tried to stand, but he was hit with a wave of dizziness, “I want to help!”

“Sorry, kiddo.” Sonic forced him gently back, tucking the blanket in around his shoulders, “It’s okay. We can handle this. You should rest.”

Tails tried to keep arguing, but Knuckles was happy staying behind with him until Chip got home. Not that it would have mattered much, Tails could hardly lift his head without feeling nauseous. The rest of the group left in a hurry, taking the upgraded Tornado to fly over the cracks between the continents.

The discussion of Lyric would have to wait.

***

Sonic skid to a halt outside the main square of Venice, Soleanna. Most residents had cleared away, leaving one lone figure standing defiantly in front of a fuzzy black mass that hovered over her.

Sonic lifted an arm to steady his group. It was Princess Elise.

“You already asked me that, and I already said no!”

Elise was holding a tall staff in front of her, decorated with white feathers over a motif of the sun. It glowed brightly against the darkness that hovered just out of her reach.

Sonic didn’t hear it at first, because it was such a soft voice, but when he registered it as a voice, it rolled over his back like cold water.

**“Really? Still so stubborn?”** the voice dripped with a whispery kind of amusement, **“I don’t know if you’re brave or simply foolish. Do you even know who I am?”**

The creature hadn’t said its name aloud, but it easily hung in the air anyway. Sonic felt the name more than he heard it, and it was one he wished he could forget.

_Mephiles._

Elise didn’t react to the quiet threat, instead fixing her adversary with an even deeper scowl, “Are you deaf? I don’t care who you are, this kind of violence will not be tolerated in my kingdom!”

The light grew brighter, and the monster flinched back as it got burned. The fuzzy black mass reformed, concentrating in one spot until a figure emerged from its depths. It looked like...Shadow? Sonic blinked. No, not Shadow. The stripes were the wrong color, the eyes were too static and emotionless. The thing, whatever it was, had no mouth either. Instead, its voice circled around the group like icy air, pulling warmth from their skin and causing goosebumps to rise all over their bodies.

**“Well. It appears that I am not welcome here.”** the monster floated in the air, suspended like a ragdoll. Its movements were erratic, like it didn’t handle coffee well, or like it was glitching in a badly-made video game, **“Fine. You are proving to be much more difficult than you were all those years ago. I’ll leave you be for now.”**

The monster melted into a black inky puddle before fading between the cracks in the pavement. Elise closed her eyes, taking several long, slow breaths.

_“Mephiles!”_

Shadow landed by the edge of the square nearby, drawing Elise’s attention to the newcomers, who had been rooted in place until Shadow appeared.

“Dammit!” Shadow relaxed, but only slightly, “Where is he!?”

Elise smiled, and all traces of her previous distress disappeared, “It’s okay. He’s not getting what he wants.”

Her eyes fell on Sonic who stepped forward in a daze, “Was that it? Was that the conscious mind of Solaris?”

“Yeah. He's after the crown of darkness, but he's not going to get it. It's in good hands after all.”

Sonic watched Elise raise her hand in a friendly wave. Outside the regulations and expectations of the castle, she allowed her posture to bend slightly, her heeled shoes clacking on the pavement as she casually shifted her weight to one foot. She retained her regality, enough that it was still clear she was a princess, but she also had a playful twinkle in her eye that suggested she didn't mind having to fight sometimes. It made Sonic wonder how she would handle herself in a fight. He found himself wanting to find out.

“Is he...” Shadow scratched at his ear, “...gone?”

“Not really.” Elise’s eyes half-closed in annoyance, showing off the light shimmery eyeshadow she wore, “He doesn't leave once he's let out. I wonder why he looks so much like you, though. Did you let him out?”

“By mistake!” Shadow rubbed his eyes, “It's my fault he's back, how do we seal him away again?”

Sonic didn't notice at first, but there was something odd about Shadow that was different than the last time he saw him. First of all, his eyes never quite focused, like he wasn't seeing anything actually going on around him. Secondly, his tanned face was reddish and splotchy, like the flush you get when you're drunk, but Shadow didn't drink. Even if he did, he wouldn't be able to get drunk because of his heritage as a member of the Black Arms. His stance was also shaky. He could stand and balance just fine, but he clearly had to focus in order to stay upright the way he was. He would feel more like himself when he talked, but when he was quiet, he was almost...afraid? Of what?

Sonic took a tentative step forward, “Shadow, are you okay?”

Shadow rested his hands on his hips, remaining impassive, “Fine. Your highness, I need to find him. I need to fix my mistake.”

Elise clicked her staff to a strap on her back, bringing a hand to her chin in thought. The heel of the foot behind her tapped mindlessly on the ground.

“Do you still have the scepter of darkness?”

Shadow brandished the two broken pieces, letting some of his guilt show on his face.

“Ah, good.” Elise smiled again, “It's still mostly in one piece. If you'll give that to me, I can reform the two pieces and recharge its power, then you can use it to trap the monster once again.”

Shadow joined her in the middle of the square, hesitating for just a moment before he handed them over. He was so short that Elise had to stoop slightly to reach.

“Perfect. Thank you.” Elise let the two pieces float in the air, filling them with power until the two cracked segments found their place again. They melded so well together that it looked as if it had never been broken in the first place. The only indication of the princess's concentration was the single wrinkle in her brow.

The scepter glowed for a moment before it floated in front of Shadow, perfectly intact and with a slight white glow.

Else's smile turned compassionate, “Now go and fix your mistake.”

Shadow gripped the small staff in his arms, “Thank you.”

Sonic didn’t miss the way his hands shook as he held the repaired scepter. He was trying so hard to act normal, but something had clearly happened to him.

That’s when realization washed over Sonic, and his blood ran cold.

“I need to get back to the castle, but please come visit if you need anything.” Elise continued to smile despite her melancholy, “Us heroes have to stick together, after all.”

_Heroes._

Sonic watched as Elise headed back towards the castle. The clicking of her heels faded into the distance. She showed no signs that the heels bothered her at all, in fact she walked as if she was wearing a pair of high-end running shoes. He had no doubt she could actually run in those, but she was clearly still holding herself to a regal standard. How could someone do that so flawlessly? Had she been practicing her whole life?

Of course, that wasn’t too concerning at the moment. Shadow was still acting strange, and Sonic had an idea of why.

Shadow turned to leave, so Sonic hastily ran to him, “Shadow, wait.”

Shadow winced, taking a moment to breathe. His voice was calm, “What?”

Sonic watched him for any signs of distress, but Shadow’s expression was carefully guarded, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine.” his answer was robotic, like it was a line he’d practiced, “Now I really need to go.”

“Can you come home after?” Sonic grabbed his arm before he could bolt, “Please?”

Shadow looked like he wanted to say no, but instead he said, “Sure. I’ll be there.”

His shoes glowed with their red light as Shadow disappeared into the city, likely in pursuit of the monster. Sonic’s thoughts were spinning as he watched the black hedgehog go, still worried, but he decided to push it out of his head for now.

“Let’s find the monster.” he said, “Maybe we can trap it and weaken it so Shadow can take care of it.”

***


	16. Chapter 16

**September - Year 1**

Tails was asleep by the time they got back. After a long sweeping of the area, they concluded that the monster had simply disappeared. Sonic’s muscles were aching, so he got everyone back together before the sun could set and entered the house as a red glow was cast over the world. Sonic collapsed over the couch where Tails was curled into a ball, completely wrapped up in the blankets.

Everyone else ignored him as they found their places in the house. As it turned out, Chip was sleeping in the kitchen sink, and Sonic passively watched Silver get comfortable on the larger couch. He was so tall that he had to rest his ankles on the arm rest, and the blanket he grabbed bunched around his shoulders, though it didn’t matter much as he didn’t bother to remove his boots.

Sonic settled deeper into the cushions, his sore muscles protesting the action, before he pulled out his phone to dial the new number. At least Shadow had listened to him about one thing. The phone rang a few times before the other person picked up.

_“Sonic?”_

Sonic let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, “Shadow. Hey. You didn’t come home like I asked you to.”

The other end was quiet, aside from Shadow’s raspy breathing. He didn’t speak for a long moment.

_“I’m sorry. I meant to, I just...”_

Sonic picked up when Shadow didn’t continue, “Can you come home now?”

_“No, not right now. I can’t.”_

“Then soon.” Sonic crossed his legs over the edge of the couch cushion, “You don’t have to right now if you feel like you can’t, but I need to know that you’re safe. We can figure this out together, okay?”

 _“Yes, of course.”_ some of Shadow’s hesitation melted away over the phone, _“I’ll be there in the morning. Stay safe.”_

“You too.” Sonic smirked, “And you’d better actually keep yourself safe this time, or I’ll track you down and beat some sense into you myself.”

Shadow laughed weakly. A refreshingly real laugh, _“I will keep that in mind. Goodbye.”_

“Bye, Shadow.”

Sonic dropped his head into his pillow once he’d hung up. It put his mind at ease at least a little, considering the piles of bad news that weighed him down like an anchor. The analogy made his skin crawl, but that was exactly what it felt like.

“Sonic?”

So Silver was still awake, “Yeah?”

Silver looked over the armrest of his couch to gaze at Sonic, his golden-yellow eyes clouded by storm clouds. Sonic waited for him to gather his thoughts.

“You don’t think he’ll get the chance to free Iblis...” Silver lay back down so only his white bangs were visible over his pillow, “...do you?”

He sounded resigned. Maybe he’d already accepted this as a possibility and was just bracing himself for the coming battle.

Sonic considered the question regardless, “The princess seemed pretty adamant that the crown of darkness was in good hands. Who knows, though? I wouldn’t rule it out completely.”

“Mhm.” Silver hugged his pillow, burying his chin in it, “I was afraid of that.”

Sonic rolled onto his side to better face his friend, “If it’s too traumatic for you, we can handle it. Like I said. You’ll be okay.”

Silver hardly seemed comforted by the words, but he shrugged as he thought.

“No. I want to fight.”

Sonic saw the glimmer of determination as Silver glared daggers at the floor.

“I’ve beaten him once.” he said, “I can do it again.”

Sonic nodded, “And you have all of us this time. You can do this.”

Silver smiled gratefully, “Thanks. That means a lot, you know.” he rolled over, pulling his blanket partially over his head, “Huh?”

“What’s wrong?” by this point, Sonic had closed his eyes to go to sleep.

“Sonic...” Silver tiredly sat up, placing his feet on the ground, “You’re supposed to turn into that thing after dark, right?”

Sonic’s eyes flew open. The ceiling was dark and blue.

“What?” he stood up, shakily heading for the window to peer outside.

It looked like a new moon, so the darkness was prominent as civil twilight ended and the red glow from the sunset got darker and darker. He looked down at his palm. There was no tug. No pain. No indication that he even had a darker form aside from the gentle coolness in his blood vessels that was present even during the day. The sun was gone, everything was completely dark, and yet he was still himself.

“Sonic?” Tails mumbled as he woke up, rubbing his eyes.

Sonic stepped away from the window, “Tails, it’s night.”

“Yeah, so?”

“Tails,” Sonic lifted his friend up from the couch, “It’s night.”

Tails’ sleep-addled brain took a moment to process what he meant, then his eyes were wide open.

“Oh, yeah.” he sat against the backrest of the couch, “You mean you didn’t know?”

“Didn’t know what, what are you talking about?”

Tails gazed out the window while he formulated his answer. Something outside must have confirmed something to him, as he nodded, his furrowed brow lifting into one of epiphany.

“It’s the moon.” he explained, his eyes softening at Sonic's confusion, “Don't you remember all those times you slept through the night without waking up?”

Sonic was about to argue, but instead, his open mouth morphed into a small frown. He knew for a fact that lately, as the pain of his transformation decreased overtime, he would wake up to experience the discomfort at least once, depending on what time he went to bed, before going back to sleep. All the nights blurred together in his mind, so he couldn't tell for sure, but as he thought, he recalled just how many times the moonlight shone down on him during each transformation into his monster form. Even when he left the moonlight, he didn't turn back until he was in direct sunlight.

“Wait.” Sonic glanced back at the window, noting again how dark it was, “The moon is on the other side of the planet right now, isn't it?”

“Yeah. I think so.” Tails yawned, gingerly stretching his arms in the air, “It could give us a clue as to where Dark Gaia is operating from.”

Despite this new information prompting new questions, Sonic smiled at the young fox cub, “I see you've already been thinking about this, huh?”

“Heh. Kind of. I can't help myself.” Tails curled back up on the couch, “Hey, ask me about this in the morning, m'kay? I'm tired.”

Sonic slowly nodded. Silver had been listening at this point, but afterwards, he returned to his couch so he could go to sleep. After Tails settled back into the cushions, Sonic moved to the window, where the only light coming from outside was from the porchlight of other houses, and to a lesser extent, the distant stars. It was eerily dark without the moonlight, and under ordinary circumstances, Sonic was sure it would creep him out.

But it was night. It was past sundown, and Sonic was still himself. He briefly wondered if he could hide himself from the moonlight and forgo the transformation altogether. The thought made his heart flutter. He wouldn’t have to deal with being a monster anymore, now that he knew that lack of sunlight wasn’t the only issue.

No. That could never work. He was already mostly used to the form, so if he slipped up and fell into the moonlight again, he feared the pain would come back full-force, and he would feel even worse about it.

Still. He basked in the total darkness. He felt the fine fur over the skin on his arms. It was incredibly comforting knowing he could exist at night as himself. He held onto it while it would last.

Unfortunately, he was also very tired, so he lay on the couch beside Tails to at least try and fall asleep, but his mind was racing, so it took awhile of worrying about their many adversaries before he could finally relax enough to go to sleep, though there was still a notch in his brow that betrayed how upset he really was.

***


	17. Chapter 17

**October - Year 1**

_“I’m sure my proposition is appealing right now, isn’t it?”_

_The voice tickled the hair in Tails’ ears, and his heart sank as he realized what this meant. His rescue was a dream. He was back in Lyric’s factory, he was in the torture chamber, and Sonic was still far far away. The idea of being so close to safety and then suddenly being torn back forced him to choke back a sob. His subconscious was so cruel for luring him into a false sense of security only to be back where he started._

_He was so hungry, but all that really did was remind him how much his stomach was already flipping just from the idea of suffering the torture again._

_He would keep his promise. He was sure. He would stay grounded. He would die before he gave this snake anything. It didn’t comfort him, but his friends deserved that much after everything they’d done._

_Then why was it taking them so long to rescue him?_

_Tails was lifted once again by Lyric’s machine, and his stomach lurched._

_“Stop! That’s enough! Please stop, don’t-!”_

_He covered his mouth, scolding himself. Don’t be weak! You can’t betray your friends! You have to keep holding on, even if it costs you your sanity! Don’t break!_

_“Then...?”_

_Lyric gazed at him expectantly. Tails’ throat closed up, not sure how to respond. He wanted to keep fighting, but he was so sick and so exhausted. He wanted to pretend that he was fine, he wanted to fight with everything he had, but that spark of defiance he held onto with an iron fist was slowly darkening. It was becoming slippery enough that Tails had trouble grasping it. His resolve was becoming liquid between his fingers. He was afraid to speak, as it might betray his inner thoughts. This had gone on long enough. He didn’t know how long he had even been there, it could have been years. It hurt so much, and pieces of him were beginning to snap._

_The image of Sonic, Amy, Knuckles, even Silver..._

_It was fading._

_“Fine.” he finally said, “As long as you stop this. I can’t take it anymore.”_

_The words were lead on his tongue. He had broken. It was over._

_He had betrayed the friends who were already just a simple part of his past. Nothing to worry about._

_“Ah, wonderful.” Lyric’s smile lost a bit of its hostility as he opened an arm, “Then follow me. You must be exhausted.”_

_No! This isn’t what you wanted! You’re a coward! You’re a child! Sonic wouldn’t have caved! How could you do this to your own family!?_

_What have you done?_

Tails was ripped back to consciousness, the visions of Lyric destroying him still playing on his eyelids. In his delirium, he had already thrown up the contents of his stomach, and it took him several long moments to even register his surroundings. It took him another long moment before he realized that a very panicked blue hedgehog was talking to him. He tried to listen, though it took a lot of effort.

“-ails, please listen to me. What happened? Did you have a nightmare? Tails, wake up!”

Tails rubbed his eyes until the splotchy colors disappeared and he could see clearly, though his heart was pounding loud in his ears, and his hands were freezing cold.

 _“S-Sonic…?”_ Tails voice was scratchy, and impossibly weak. He coughed before he tried again, “Sonic? What happened?”

“That’s what I said!” Sonic tried to keep his voice down, but was clearly failing, “Seriously, what’s going on? I thought you were being murdered with how loud you were screaming!”

Tails ran long scratches across his head. His body was still confused at being torn so abruptly from sleep, so it was drowsy enough to try and force Tails’ eyelids closed, but if this was real, then he needed to stay in it as long as he possibly could. He focused his attention away from Sonic for the moment to study his surroundings. He was back in his bed at home, at the opposite wall from where Sonic’s bed was. It was still dark outside, but dawn was very steadily creeping up over the horizon. Tails reached back. He remembered helping Amy with dinner, then working a bit in his garage, then reading a book before deciding to turn in for the night. He was feeling a lot less sick last night than he had in weeks, so he had actually managed to get some things done.

He supposed that was over now. His sickness was back full-force, though this time it wasn’t from the memory of Lyric’s torture.

It was the aftermath.

It was his betrayal.

“Oh, Sonic...” Tails grasped Sonic’s arms, realizing that some of his bile had landed on Sonic’s leg and part of his hand, “Sonic, I gave in! I helped him! I _broke!_ I’m so sorry, I didn’t want to! But the torture wouldn’t stop-!”

“Tails, slow down!” Sonic didn’t seem to mind that his socks were soiled, instead wrapping his arms even tighter around the small trembling child, “Torture? Lyric tortured you?”

Oops. He hadn’t meant to let that slip. He figured if he didn’t talk about it, he could just pretend it didn’t happen. Clearly though, that wasn’t working.

“Um, oh, yeah, I...” Tails gagged just thinking about it again, “I, I can’t, I...”

“Tails, it’s okay. I’m here now. You’re okay. Here, shhh.”

Sonic sat on the bed to pull Tails into his lap, wrapping both arms around him and swaying back and forth like a rocking chair. The gentle motion might have upset his stomach, but it was so calm and predictable, it reminded him of being on a boat during a calm day at sea. It also helped that Tails didn’t get seasick despite his motion sickness, so he leaned into the touch and took several long, calming breaths.

“Shhh...” Sonic scratched Tails behind his ears, “You’re okay. I’ve got you now.”

Tails realized the motion was making him fall asleep, so he bit his tongue, hoping the pain would help him wake up. He didn’t want to go back. Back to where he was a traitor.

Sonic noticed Tails’ breathing speed up again, and he pulled away to look Tails in the eyes, “Buddy, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t want to go back to sleep.” he said automatically, “I can’t. Not now.”

“That’s okay.” Sonic gave him a patient smile, ruffling his bangs a little, “I can stay up with you if you think that’ll help.”

Tails tried to say, _‘You don’t have to do that’,_ but the idea of being alone was too much, even if he felt bad about keeping his friend up, so instead he sighed as he buried his face in Sonic’s shoulder, “Please.”

Sonic hummed, holding him close again, “It’s okay. Everything is okay.”

As Tails’ body finally let him wake up, the smell was starting to make him dizzy. He self-consciously pushed himself away from Sonic, landing beside him on the mattress.

“What’s wrong?”

Tails hugged himself, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to...I’m so sorry.”

“Hey, no worries.” Sonic stood up, stepping gingerly on the foot with the dirty sock, “Though, maybe we should clean this up. I’ll get you a bucket, too.”

Tails numbly nodded, watching Sonic hop on one foot down the hallway to the bathroom, where he came back with two buckets; One that was empty, and one that was full of tap water. Sonic did what he could to get the mess out of the carpet, breathing out of his mouth until himself and the floor were mostly clean.

Tails was sad. Amy had made that meal just for him, and now it had all gone to waste.

Sonic carried the water bucket back to the bathroom and dumped it into the sink before he returned to put on a fresh pair of socks. He rested on his bed for a moment before returning to Tails’ side, making sure the empty bucket was within arms-reach.

He lay one arm on his young friend, “Better?”

Tails growled, “Hardly.”

Sonic shrugged. Angry was better than desolate. Maybe it was a sign he was calming down.

“Tails.” Sonic made sure he had Tails’ attention before he continued, “Start at the beginning. What happened?”

Tails sharply inhaled, not liking the idea of reliving those traumatic events.

“Well...” Tails got a mischievous smile as he got an idea, “One day, two red foxes met and fell in love.”

Sonic burst into laughter, so much so that he gripped both his sides as he tumbled off the bed, landing with a loud _thump!_ on the ground. By the time he got back to his feet, there were tears in his eyes, and the laughter was turning into soft sobs.

“God Tails, I missed you!” Sonic took his place back on the bed to wrap Tails in a huge hug, “I _missed_ you!”

Tails joined in his laughing and crying, tightly reciprocating the hug, “Glad you don’t just keep me around for my gadgets!”

“No way, bro! We’re family!”

This was it. This was real. He felt Sonic’s spines beneath his fingers. They were prickly, but also soft, like they had always been. He wasn’t in a dream. Everything he was experiencing right now...

He remembered the way he had buckled in his nightmare, and he quieted.

“Hey, Tails.” Sonic noticed the change, “You know what I meant. What happened after you were captured by Lyric?”

Tails’ throat went dry. He tried to swallow, but it didn't help.

“I, I can't...” Tails gagged again, so he covered his mouth, “I can't even think about it. I can't.”

Sonic's face drained of all its color, “Oh my god...when I get my hands on that snake, I'm gonna twist his neck until it _snaps!”_

Tails tried to calm his racing heart, “I mean...the torture itself wasn't really so bad. It was just...the repetition...and...”

Sonic held Tails’ head in his hands, stroking the fur on his cheeks with his thumbs, “I'm listening. Take your time.”

Tails rested his own hands on Sonic's wrists, “It...okay, what he did was he put me in a contraption that spun me around until I felt sick, then he would leave me all alone, sometimes for weeks at a time, before doing it again.”

“What?” Sonic looked away until he processed the information, “How did Lyric know about your motion sickness?”

“He probably had spies. You know those giant obvious cameras Eggman used to hide in the forest? Now imagine if a camera actually just looked like an ordinary fly.”

“Goddammit, he really can't give us a break, can he?”

“I guess not.” Tails’ amused smile vanished, “Anyway, I...I tried so hard to stay strong, but did I break?”

Sonic slowly shook his head, “No. You didn't break. I know that for a fact.”

“But it felt so real.” Tails squeezed Sonic's hands, “I had a dream. There was no torture in it or anything, but I broke! I thought my rescue had just been a dream! I thought Lyric was going to torture me again, so I caved! I couldn't take it anymore, I ruined everything!”

By the time he was done, tears were streaming down his face. Sonic held tight to him, rubbing circles into his back, “Tails, it's okay. I've got you now. You're okay. Shhhhh....”

Sunlight was streaming into the room now, between the curtains over the window. It warmed Tails’ cold skin. Lyric had never let him see the sun in his cell, so he held onto the feeling of warmth. He was safe. He was okay.

“Tails,” Sonic didn't pull away completely, but his hold on Tails relaxed somewhat, “It would have happened to anyone. If we couldn't get you out in time, you would have broken. I could have been the one in there instead, or Amy, or Knuckles. Do you really think we would hold up better than you?”

Tails knew that Sonic was right, but it didn't help. That voice in the back of his head was making him believe things that weren't true. It was a logical error, he knew that, but he couldn't help it.

“But it still hurt.” Tails pushed Sonic away, “If I had caved, I would be a robot, and so would all of you. Lyric would have succeeded in his plan to turn all organic lifeforms into robotic husks, and it would have been all my fault...”

“But it didn't happen.” Sonic lifted Tails’ chin to look at him, “You didn't cave. I got you out of there in time, and now Lyric is going to pay. Do you understand?”

Tails sniffed, “Yeah.” he found his genuine smile, “Heh. Sorry for falling apart on you.”

“No worries, buddy.” Sonic matched his smile, “Like I said, it could have been anyone. It just happened to be you.”

Tails tiredly toppled over so he was laying on the bed.

“You ready to try going back to sleep?”

“Don’t go.” Tails cringed at how pathetic he sounded, but nonetheless, Sonic brought the blanket up to his shoulders, “Please.”

“I swear to you, I will not leave this room.” Sonic moved to his own bed as he stretched and yawned, “‘Sides...I'm tired too.”

Tails closed his eyes, then he opened them, “Will I ever be able to fly again?”

“Oh no...”

Sonic sat on the edge of his bed, his socks brushing the carpet below him.

“I can hardly even eat.” Tails pulled the sheets tightly around himself, “Will I be able to feel the torture every time the Tornado goes through turbulence?”

Sonic laced his fingers in his lap, “I honestly don't know, Tails. It might be safe to avoid it for the time being, though.”

The thought of never being able to fly again brought fresh tears to Tails’ eyes. He blinked them away, but his vision was hopelessly blurry.

No, he would fly again, just not right now. Not until he had a chance to recover.

“Sonic?”

“Hm?”

Tails looked at his brother's vague shape through the blurry curtain of tears.

“We'll do it together.” he managed a weak smile, “Right?”

“Yes.” There was no hesitation in Sonic's voice, just clear confidence, “We'll always do it together.”

“Together.” Tails held onto the word before it could slip, “Together, together, together...”

Sonic realized that this must be what Tails used to comfort himself while he was captured, “Together, together, together,”

Every time he said _“together”,_ the tension left Tails until he was limp enough to relax. The sun shone on his eyelids as he was finally able to close his eyes without seeing Lyric's sadistic grin in his mind. All he could see and hear was Sonic, and the serene feeling of security he always carried with him.

Tails was fast asleep before Sonic said it one last time.

“Together.”

And with that, he lay in bed facing the wall, until he went back to sleep himself.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sonic and Tails are best bros for life and nobody can tell me otherwise.


	18. Chapter 18

**December - Year 1**

Silver huddled in his thick coat on the roof of the house. Even though the sun was high in the sky, the winter chill easily seeped into his bones. Being surrounded by fire during your entire childhood would do that to you. Still. It chased away the bright red and yellow colors of his nightmares, so he didn't mind it much.

“What are you doing out here?”

Silver looked down at the path that led to the front door. Shadow was looking up at him from the yard passively standing with both arms crossed. He had a furrowed brow, but otherwise seemed to be back to normal.

Silver smirked as he shivered, “So, you decided to come home for real?”

“I’d rather people didn’t worry about me.” Shadow averted his gaze for a moment before joining the white hedgehog on the roof, “But you didn’t answer my question. I thought you hated the cold.”

“I don’t, I’m just sensitive to it.” Silver wiped his nose as his breath fogged in the air, “Where have you been all night, anyway?”

Shadow grimaced, letting his legs hang off the edge of the roof. The intense temperature didn’t seem to bother him, “I would rather not talk about it. You probably shouldn’t stay out here too much longer, however. You look like you’re getting too cold.”

“Yeah, I am pretty cold, but I think it’s good for me.” Silver gestured to the house underneath them, “Besides, have you seen Tails lately? It’s too heartbreaking, and it’s stressing me out.”

“Tails?” Shadow jumped from the roof, throwing open the front door. He could hear anxious shuffling feet coming from the kitchen. He followed the sound, his feet automatically carrying him forward.

Sonic had settled Tails into a bar stool at the counter, a plate of untouched crackers in front of him. Sonic gently stroked his back, but Tails didn’t move aside from the occasional shiver or steady blink. Shadow recoiled like he’d taken a punch to the gut. Tails was starving. His fur was losing its vibrant orange glow, instead closer to a dull reddish brown. Even from where Shadow was standing, he could easily count each of the poor child’s ribs.

“Tails, you have to eat.” Sonic cradled the emaciated frame of his friend like he was a thin sheet of ice, ready to break, “Just eat something, anything. _Please.”_

Tails didn’t respond.

“Sonic?”

Sonic turned to the hoarse voice, “Shadow. You’re here.”

“So I am.” Shadow walked around to the side of the counter, where Tails’ bright blue eyes stared lifelessly at the countertop, purposely avoiding the plate of crackers, “What in the world happened to him?”

Sonic’s hopeless expression morphed into one of pure hatred, “Lyric. I only just recently managed to pry the details of Tails’ capture from him, and it turns out the snake has been taking advantage of Tails’ motion sickness to torture him.”

“WHAT!?” Shadow felt power pushing against his inhibitor rings. They glowed hot from the strain, and he forced himself to calm at least somewhat.

“I know!” Sonic jumped from his stool, “You’re welcome to join me when I pummel him!”

“It would be my pleasure, hedgehog.”

Tails groaned, “Shut up.”

“Right. Sorry.” Sonic sat back down, “Anyway, Tails was sleeping in late, so a little while ago, he woke up from another nightmare. He won’t tell me about it, though, and he refuses to eat even though he didn't eat anything yesterday. The poor guy is withering away!”

Shadow looked from the plate to the apathetic fox, “Aren’t you hungry?”

Tails gave a slow shake of his head, “The pain is worse.”

Sonic buried his face in his arms as they rested on the countertop, “Don’t go, Shadow.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. He pulled up a chair to sit at Tails’ other side, gently setting his hand over Tails’ own and making sure the rings on his wrists didn’t touch him.

“You don’t want to starve.” he lifted Tails’ chin to look at him, “Is there anything we can do?”

Tails let his head drop again once Shadow’s hand was gone, “I don’t know. None of this feels real.”

Sonic lifted his arms to hold Tails close to his body, whispering in his ear, _“Does this feel real?”_

Tails relaxed in the hold, but he didn't reply.

Shadow hesitantly wrapped both his arms around the two boys, “Lyric is a dead man walking. He will never hurt you again, I promise.”

Sonic let himself smile a little. Leave it to Shadow to use threats of violence to cheer someone up.

“Please eat something.” Shadow gestured to the plate that sat untouched in front of them, “It doesn’t have to be this. I can make you something if you like.”

Tails looked up in surprise. Sonic matched the look, too bewildered to notice the change in demeanor of his best friend.

“You can cook?”

Shadow snorted, “Don’t act so surprised, faker. What, did you think I literally just disappear to brood and wallow in self-pity all day?”

“Well...” Sonic smiled, though his tired eyes didn’t join in, “That’s what you did...the first time...”

Shadow shook his head, “Unbelievable. That was an extreme circumstance, and you know it.”

“Hey,” Sonic leaned forward behind Tails’ seat, planting a foot on the ground for stability, “I didn’t see it coming, and it didn’t exactly make a great first impression.”

Shadow pushed the blue hero back into his seat on his way to the kitchen, “Though I understand your confusion, I must ask that you stop making brash assumptions about me. I do prefer to work alone, but I don’t spend any of that time doing nothing.” Shadow paused when he opened the cabinet where Amy kept the pots and pans, seemingly lost in thought. His eyes lit up as an idea struck him, and he quickly grabbed a large saucepan to place on the stove.

“Oh, lemme help.” Sonic hastily left his chair.

“Sure.” Shadow retrieved a wide frying pan next, “Where does Amy keep the olive oil?”

Sonic was used to a procedure like this. After all, Amy believed that canned soup was the work of the devil, so she was constantly making her own from scratch, and Sonic was the one who most frequently helped her with this. Still, it was odd when he found himself going on autopilot only to hand each new ingredient to Shadow instead of the excitable pink hedgehog.

Shadow worked with practiced ease, coating the pan with the oil and turning the stove on low before opening the fridge to grab an array of said ingredients, “Where are the potatoes?”

“In here.” Sonic crouched inside the pantry to pull out the thick sack, “Amy prefers to keep them out of direct sunlight.”

“Smart. Bring them here.”

Tails didn’t move from where he was, but he did turn to watch them curiously. Though he was sadly unwell in this state, Sonic was glad that at least his blue eyes were still unchanged, even after everything he’d been through. What a strong kid.

“There.” Shadow emptied the sack on the counter, picking out a few of them before shoving the rest back inside, “Wash these for me.”

Shadow turned on the sink to rinse some of the vegetables he’d chosen, which consisted of only carrots and celery, and not very much at that. He dumped them, along with a raw chicken breast, on the cutting board Amy kept under the window and lifted a knife to skillfully cut them. Sonic brought the potatoes to the sink and took the scrub brush he knew Amy only used for food to wash them clean. Shadow dropped the cut vegetables and meat into the pan and covered them in oil with a wooden spoon.

He gave Shadow a tap on the shoulder when he was done with his task, and the other took each potato, inspected it, and then brought it to the board to be diced.

“Hey, Shads,” Sonic leaned his elbows on the sink, “Aren’t you supposed to peel them first?”

“Not necessarily.” Shadow scooped up the small cubes of potato to let them join the vegetables in the sizzling oil, “I tend to keep them. The skins of potatoes are full of nutrients, so throwing them away is wasteful in my opinion.”

“Huh.” he wondered if Amy knew that and just didn’t like the taste of potato skins, “How do you know all of this, anyway? You seem to be a pro at this, but I’ve never seen you cook before.”

While Shadow waited on the sauteeing ingredients to cook, he filled a portion of the saucepan with water before he returned to the fridge to grab a carton of broth, “I haven’t been doing it much lately, but I did it a lot on the Ark.”

“You did? For real?”

“Yes, Sonic.” Shadow’s voice had just the slightest hint of annoyance behind it, “Again, what did you think I did on the Ark all day? There’s nothing to do unless you find something to do, and with Maria constantly being sick, it was only natural I teach myself how to cook.”

“Well, it’s not like I could have guessed that. You just didn’t seem the type, you know?” Sonic turned to lean his back on the counter, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed.”

Shadow was about to cut back with some witty remark, but he realized that Sonic was genuinely sorry about making textbook judgements about him, as his ears were tilted downward and his body language conveyed nothing but sincerity.

“No, it’s alright.” Shadow flipped the chopped carrot and celery before it had a chance to burn, “It was partly my fault anyway. I’m hardly around, and I don’t associate with many people. There wasn’t much room to guess.”

“Yeah.” Sonic relaxed when he realized he’d been forgiven, “Anything else you need?”

“Hm?” Shadow reacted like he’d come out of a daze, “Oh, I’ve got it for now. Thank you, though.”

Sonic watched Shadow pour a bit more broth into the saucepan before adjusting the heat on the stove so it wouldn’t boil over. He turned the stove underneath the frying pan off before he carefully pushed its contents into the boiling saucepan. He left for the pantry one last time to grab a few mild seasonings, including a hearty sprinkling of ginger, then stirred it until it boiled again and he could turn the stove off.

Tails had already left his chair to investigate, “Wow. It actually smells...”

“Appetizing?” Shadow got a bowl from the overhead cabinet, “Good, because it’s all yours.”

Tails was clearly still apprehensive, but he let Shadow guide him back to his seat at the table. He grabbed a ladle from a nearby drawer to scoop a small amount of the finished soup into the bowl, then he placed the steaming meal in front of the shivering fox. Sonic placed a small metal spoon beside the bowl afterwards.

“Just don’t eat it all at once.” was all he said.

Tails put his hands on the sides of the bowl, letting the hot soup warm them a little before he took the spoon and dipped it into the broth. His gag reflex hadn’t activated yet, so he gingerly brought the spoon to his mouth. His eyes lit up, and a bright smile spread on his face.

“Hm!” he took another spoonful, “This is good!”

Shadow gave a heavy sigh, “Thank you.”

“Did you think I wouldn’t like it?”

Maybe Sonic’s eyes were playing tricks on him, but just those few bites of food were already making some of the dullness under Tails’ eyes disappear.

“It’s not that.” Shadow sat back in his chair near the counter, “I was just concerned I'd made it too strong. It was going to someone with an upset stomach, after all.”

“No, It's perfect!” Tails was close to just tipping the bowl to his mouth with how fast he was eating it, “I thought I might never enjoy a good meal again!”

“Whoa! Not so fast!” Sonic snatched the bowl away.

“I know I know, refeeding syndrome, now give it back to me please?”

Sonic scrutinized him for any signs of his sickness coming back, but he eventually relented, “Okay, but be careful.”

“Thank you.” Tails forced himself to take slower bites, “Trust me, this isn't enough food to cause refeeding syndrome.”

“If you say so, buddy.”

Sonic left to pour the rest of the soup into a tupperware container, using a spare marker and a sticky note to write, “FOR TAILS” in big, bold letters across the lid. He then stuck the container in the fridge.

“So.” with the immediate threat gone, Sonic turned to stare at Shadow, “What exactly happened while you were away?”

Shadow feigned confusion, “What do you mean?”

Sonic didn't want to just up and say it, but his realization of the other day snuck back into the forefront of his mind, and the words were out before he could stop them.

“Is it Black Doom?”

Shadow tried to look away and keep up his facade of indifference, but it was too late. The briefest flicker of shock had made itself apparent.

“It is!” Sonic ran to grab Shadow’s arm, “And you didn't tell anyone!?”

“It's not Black Doom.”

“Liar!” Sonic let his grip slacken, but he didn't let go, “Why do you feel the need to hide this!? Are you just going to hide everything until I can pry it out of you!?”

“This doesn't concern you, hedgehog!” Shadow yanked his arm from Sonic's grip, “I would rather not put unnecessary people in danger!”

It could have been a jab, and it most certainly was to a degree, but Sonic had known Shadow longer than that. He could see the softness of Shadow’s frown, the way his brow turned up just a tad in worry.

Sonic nervously fiddled with the tape around his forearm. Shadow wanted to be honest with him, but felt he couldn't for some reason. Did he forget that they were a team? Or did he truly think this problem was best solved by himself? He was sure Shadow _thought_ he was doing the right thing, but...

“I'm not lettin’ you off that easy, Shads.” Sonic knelt down to force Shadow to look at him, “You honestly think so little of me? Even if I can't help, do you really want to be isolated all the time?”

Shadow let his posture sway, massaging his forehead with both hands.

_“No.”_

“Then why are you doing this to yourself?” Sonic took both of Shadows hands from where he knelt on the floor, “Shadow, please, let me help you.”

Shadow couldn't look away from those brilliant green eyes that shone brighter than the Master Emerald. He remembered when Sonic said something about being a hero, a long time ago. He didn't like making the hero worry about him, but at the same time, it was truly something that Sonic couldn't help with.

His eyes found the ground as he considered his options. He was no doubt putting Sonic in danger, but now he was sure that he would not back down until he had the answer he wanted, and Shadow had already tried to bluff his way out to no effect. He reasoned that it was dangerous for him as well, however, and he had no idea how much longer he could last like this without attempting to seek outside help.

A soft _Clink!_ resonated from the sink as Tails set his empty bowl and spoon in it, leaving the kitchen to give the two their space.

“It's...” Shadow gently took his hands back from Sonic's hold, “...not that simple...”

“Oh?” a cryptic hint was better than nothing, “How so?”

Shadow ran his hands up and down his arms.

“Come with me.” he went to the front door of the house, the next room over, “I will explain what I can, but not here.”

Sonic eagerly followed, grabbing his coat on the way outside.

***


	19. Chapter 19

**December - Year 1**

“Is he okay?”

Sonic jumped at the unexpected voice.

“He’s alright now.” Shadow addressed Silver as he hopped down, “You can go back inside.”

“Thank god!” Silver rubbed his hands together.

“Wait.” Sonic watched Silver open the door, “Were you literally just sitting out here in the cold?”

“Yeah, man, I..." he didn’t finish, a faraway look appearing in his gaze before he pulled the door shut behind him.

“Huh.” Sonic crossed his arms to conserve their warmth, “So, where’re we going, Shads?”

“Not much farther.” Shadow kept walking, “I just want to make sure we aren’t followed.”

Sonic ran to catch up with him, “By who?”

Shadow didn’t reply, instead disappearing into the forest, where snow gathered on every surface. The two of them walked for awhile, enjoying the quiet until Shadow stopped at a seemingly random point in the middle of the woods. The trees were thick enough here that they blocked most of the feeble sunlight that trickled through the thick gray clouds.

“So...”

Shadow held up his hand and Sonic stopped. Shadow’s ears swivelled around as he held still, and Sonic did too, preparing to run in case Shadow suddenly changed his mind and tried to escape. Finally though, Shadow deemed the surrounding area to be acceptably empty, and so he relaxed as he turned back to face his ally.

“I want you to listen carefully to me, Sonic. Do you understand?”

Sonic nodded vigorously.

“Good.” he kept his voice down, nearly to a whisper, “This is very important, and I will not repeat myself.”

Sonic shoved his hands in his coat pockets, standing up straight.

Shadow gave a grunt of approval, “Now, where I have been...”

It was difficult to think about. Already, he was regretting the decision to tell Sonic about this, but he knew that even if Sonic wasn’t ready to yank him back if he decided to run, he deserved to know, and hesitating would only make it worse.

“Hey.” Sonic sensed his distress, placing a cold hand on his shoulder, “I won’t judge you for it.”

“It’s not that.” Shadow replied, a little too quickly, “It’s just...it’s painful, and I...”

When he didn’t continue, Sonic stepped in as he retracted his hand, “Painful?”

“Yes...” Shadow absently scratched his arm. Even though he had gotten the demon to leave him alone for a time, he knew the warning was there, just beneath his skin, “Ugh, I should’ve known. It doesn’t matter where I tell you this, _it_ will still know...”

Sonic took both of Shadow’s wrists, “Hey, hey. It’s okay.”

Somehow, the touch calmed him, and he was able to take a shaking breath into his lungs, “Sonic...you may already know that Black Doom has a hold on me. Depending on his levels of power at the time, he can gain a foothold on my thoughts, and twist them until they are no longer my own. Like I’ve said before, I never had a choice. That demon will make me evil no matter what I want.”

Sonic’s blood ran cold, and he found himself stepping closer to Shadow, who was radiating heat, “What?”

His mind was reeling with the new information.

“B-but you said you would never…”

“I know what I said.” Shadow held onto Sonic’s arms to stop his hands from covering his own mouth, “I’m not trying anything as drastic as I did back then, but even so. I am in pain every moment of my life. Sometimes it’s bearable, but when it isn’t, I will leave so nobody knows that anything is wrong. I can’t worry people like that. They need me to be..."

**Enough.**

“Ow.” Shadow’s legs collapsed under him, but Sonic caught him.

“Shadow!?”

“He knows I am spilling his secrets.” Shadow gripped his head, pulling on his own quills until it hurt.

“Hey, Shadow!” Sonic held the hedgehog close to himself, “Sh, it’s okay. You’re okay.”

“No I’m not!” Shadow wasn’t showing much of his distress on his face, but Sonic didn’t miss the bead of sweat that trickled down his forehead, “I’m not okay, and I never will be while that demon is allowed to roam free.”

“Why didn’t you ever say anything!?” Sonic knelt down to hold Shadow against his chest, “We could have helped you! You didn’t have to keep running away!”

“But I hurt everyone.” Shadow rested his head on Sonic’s shoulder, no longer having the energy to hold it up, “I never wanted the pain to reach you too. You were already going through so much, and...”

“No! Be quiet!” Sonic lifted Shadow’s head until they were face-to-face, “I understand not wanting to hurt people, but I’m honestly more hurt that you didn’t tell me about this sooner! You were just suffering by yourself and you didn’t tell anyone!? For how long, since you decided to stop being evil!?”

“Sonic...”

“I can fight.” he continued, though his arms shook from the effort and the cold, “For crying out loud, Shadow! I was worrying about you anyway, but you decided that keeping it a secret was the better option!?”

“You are not invincible, hedgehog!” Shadow spat in his face, his anger reaching its peak, “How would you have fared if you had to deal with me, Tails being kidnapped, the monster being freed, and having a new monstrous form all at the same time!?”

Sonic’s breath caught in his throat, and he fought the tears that gathered in his eyes.

“You were in no position to deal with my problem when you already have so much on your plate.” Shadow’s voice softened when he realized how much his words might have stung, “You’ve already done so much for me anyway. You shouldn’t feel obligated to help everyone with everything.”

Sonic dropped him so he could wipe away the tears. He didn’t even feel like crying, so why did his heart hurt so much? Was he truly so unaware of how much he had been dealing with for so long?

He let his hands fall into his lap.

“So you just let me worry?”

Shadow’s fists tightened where they rested on the ground, but he otherwise didn’t react.

“I knew something was wrong anyway.” Sonic gulped as he watched each of his tears fall into the snow, “Sure, I had a lot going on, but I knew you were suffering somehow, and not being able to help made me feel like I didn’t do enough. Is that really so much better?”

“Sonic, you can’t do everything-!”

“But you at least could have said something!” Sonic shook with sobs, “Anything! It didn’t even have to be me, but when you just kept to yourself like that, how do you think I felt!? It was like you didn’t trust me! I felt like maybe I should have done something more!”

“Sonic!” Shadow gripped Sonic’s arms tightly, “For the last time, you cannot do everything! Having to deal with everyone’s trauma at the same time is not healthy! Even if that was the only reason I didn’t tell you, it’s a damn good one! You have to take care of yourself too!”

Sonic began to laugh through his sobs, running each of his palms over his face to dispel the tears that continued to fall. How long had he been holding all of this in? Why did it never feel so bad until this exact moment? Was he that out of touch with his own feelings? He didn’t know what to think about it anymore. He never considered himself a sensitive person, but each new wave that hit him felt like a stab through his heart.

Maybe he’d finally reached his limit, he couldn’t say.

“Shadow...” his broken voice felt awful on his own ears, “I...I didn’t deal with everything at once. Everything you just mentioned wasn’t even so bad most of the time, especially not now that Tails is back and getting better. I know I can’t be everywhere at once, but helping people is one of the ways I cope with my own personal pain, and being around others and talking to them and sharing stories and everything...especially because I’m a hero...”

Shadow watched him closely, “Then why are you crying?”

“I don’t know!” Sonic forced himself to breathe, “I’m just hurt that you didn’t feel like you could trust me with this information. Knowing you were suffering, but not knowing how to help...”

Shadow scowled as he realized that tears were threatening to leave his own eyes, “You are so stubborn!”

“Shadow,”

“Stop, just, be quiet.” Shadow rubbed his eyes, “I am not your responsibility. Tails is not your responsibility. You are not responsible for anyone except yourself, so if something is out of your hands, then don't feel so guilty about not being able to help.”

“Yeah, I know.” Sonic smiled as he wiped the rest of his tears away, “I know.”

A snowflake landed on Sonic's nose. The sun was beginning to come back, shining off the snow and creating beams of calm light through the trees. It was noticeably warmer than it had been a couple minutes ago, and it made him feel even better after the tranquility of shedding tears.

“I'm just overwhelmed sometimes.” he said, a lot softer this time, “It's not a big deal, I just...I've been worried about you for a long time, and...it reminds me of what you did. It makes me worry that you might try again, and maybe...the second time, you won't wake up at all.”

“But Sonic, I just said, that was a very conscious decision. I’m not doing it again.”

“But what if you do!?”

“I’m not going to.” Shadow forcefully held Sonic’s coat to bring him closer, “I’m not going to, so stop worrying so much about it.”

Sonic started laughing again, louder this time. He wrapped his arms around himself, suddenly giddy and light-headed, “I’m sorry, I know, it’s just easy to forget.”

“Then maybe I should remind you more often.” Shadow noticed how close he’d gotten his face to Sonic’s so he let go and knelt back on his heels. It was so strange being so much shorter than Sonic, even though it was to be expected after Sonic had been growing up while he stayed the same.

“You should.” Sonic rolled his eyes, “God, we’re both pretty stubborn, aren’t we?”

Shadow huffed, “At least my stubborn nature is justified. You’re stubborn just because.”

Sonic didn’t comment, but he did stand up to shake the numbness from his legs, as they had been resting in the snow and against the pricky, dry grass.

“Sonic?”

“Yeah?” Sonic stood at ease, seeing that Shadow was still kneeling on the ground.

“There’s one last thing you should know.”

“What?” Sonic lifted the black hedgehog to his feet, “You’re telling me there’s _more?”_

“Let go.” Shadow swayed, but he planted his shoes on the ground to steady himself, “It’s not new, it’s related to Black Doom controlling me.”

“Oh.” Sonic stepped back on one foot, “I’m listening.”

“Well...” Shadow willed the second voice in his head to get lost, “The thing is, Black Doom has no powers of control. He can’t force anyone to do anything, unless they’re members of his colony. You are aware of how beehives work, correct?”

“Sure I do.”

“Well,” Shadow kicked at some of the snow at his feet, and it melted on the metal of his shoes, “Individual bees don’t have much will of their own. They all have the same goal, working together as if they were one intelligent creature. The queen is the only one in the colony with any kind of individual power, and thus, the worker bees have goals that concern her and not much else.”

Sonic bit down on the fabric of his glove when he realized what this meant, “So, Black Doom...?”

Shadow nodded, “You’re aware that every ancient who banded together to create the Chaos Emeralds had their own city of mortals. Black Doom had a similar band, except they were far from mortal. They didn’t age, didn’t hold injuries, and they didn’t even have any free will. Black Doom wanted his colony to be like extensions of himself, like hundreds of his own limbs. He didn’t see creation as beautiful in and of itself. He merely saw his creations as vessels to do his bidding.”

The whole time Shadow was talking, he was pushing on the side of his head with his fingers, like he had a growing headache. By the time he was done, he had both hands on his head, fighting back and forth against himself and the second voice.

**Stop this. You are a traitor to our blood.**

Sonic took another step back, “Shadow, he’s...”

“He isn’t controlling me.” Shadow forced out between his gritted teeth, “He _is_ me. The only reason I have free will at all is because, _GAH!”_

“Shadow!” Sonic reached out to catch him, but ended up covering his ears instead.

“Because of the way I was created by the good doctor!” Shadow’s mouth snapped shut, taking long, calming breaths until the pounding in his head subsided.

“You literally can’t have free will.” Sonic’s stomach dropped into his shoes, “So, Black Doom is in your head all the time?”

“Yes.” Shadow buried his face in his hands, “He has control of every aspect of my thoughts and feelings. I’m constantly torn between the bits of me that are their own and the bits of me that Black Doom has complete control over.”

“How do we stop it?” Sonic held Shadow in a hug, “Isn’t there a way?”

Shadow didn’t resist the contact this time, leaning into the other as he was becoming too weak to hold his own weight, “There is, but it is merely a temporary one. Do you recall when I trapped Black Doom in his own crystal?”

“I assume it wouldn’t work again?”

Shadow tried to reply, but his breath was stolen and he had to stop and rest. Sonic blinked as the sunlight suddenly beat down on him from the clouds above. There were like a million other places for the sun to shine, did it have to be right in his face?

“No. Even if Omega hadn’t accidentally broken his crystal, he would have broken out himself anyway.” Shadow growled low under his breath, “I learned that the hard way.”

Sonic held the black hedgehog closer to himself, “So what do we do?”

Shadow’s arms shook as he tried to sit up, his head still throbbing from his headache.

“I don’t know, but we should go back inside. It’s cold.”

Sonic agreed, letting Shadow lean on his shoulder as they walked back through the forest towards the house.

***


	20. Chapter 20

**February - Year 2**

Tails leaned on Sonic’s chest as the two of them rode on the train from Station Square to Mystic Ruins, his gaze fixed out the window to ease his motion sickness. It was far from an ideal situation, but Tails was still afraid to try flying again after everything that happened to him, so once Sonic decided they should leave the house, they walked most of the way in relative silence. Tails would stare blankly at the ground most of the time, though when Sonic would say something witty about their surroundings, he did manage to crack a smile before returning to his staring. He would try to breach the subject of Lyric, or where they were even going, but Tails would always dodge the question.

Now that they were in the mostly empty train car, Sonic began to wonder if Tails even knew where he wanted to go, or if his feet were wandering as much as his mind.

Sonic tapped his fingers on the armrest of his seat, “It’s a nice day outside, huh?”

A distracted grunt was his only reply.

The train made it onto the bridge between the mainland and the ruins, and Tails still showed no signs of breaking out of his musings. Sonic sighed, shifting his arm so Tails’ weight wasn’t cutting off circulation in his arm.

“Tails, what are you thinking about?”

“Nothing.”

The response was immediate and rehearsed.

“Okay, you don't have to tell me.”

It was a good thing to say, he noticed. Forcing others to spill their guts all the time would only make them resist and close off even more. It was always possible that Tails would keep to himself, but giving him the choice would make him feel safer about talking.

Evidently, it worked, as Tails sagged in his seat, crossing his arms to hold them close to his body.

“I'm just thinking about you.”

“Huh?” that was certainly unexpected, “What about me?”

Tails tapped his foot where it rested under his chair, “It's your connection to Chaos. I mean, sure, some people just have it randomly, it is _Chaos_ after all, but I've tested Manik and Sonia using the emeralds, you know, before they disappeared.” Tails turned in his seat to look up at Sonic from where he slouched, “Even though Manik and Sonia don't have that same connection, all three of you have identical Chaos readings.”

Sonic stiffened, “We do?”

“Yeah.”

He waited for Tails to elaborate, but he never did. He simply let his gaze wander out the window again, just as the desert appeared on the horizon. Sonic kept a loose grasp on Tails’ arm as the train came to a steady stop, and the both of them stood up to get off.

“Okay, what’s wrong? For real?”

“What?” Tails walked ahead to hide his expression from Sonic, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Sonic held his tongue, pausing in his steps to collect his thoughts before running to catch up with his friend, “Okay, but...I’m just a bit concerned, you know? I mean, you never pass up an opportunity to talk about your latest discoveries and inventions and stuff, but you’ve been really quiet this whole time.”

“So what, am I not allowed to be quiet?”

“I didn’t say that.”

Tails snapped his gaze to Sonic before he frowned, disappearing down the wooden staircase towards the beach.

“Don’t think much of it.” Sonic reached out, but Tails jumped out of his reach, “I just...wanna make sure you’re okay is all.”

Tails’ expression softened, but he still tried to walk ahead, “I’m fine.”

Sonic decided he wouldn't push it, instead allowing the two of them to lapse back into silence. The walk from the train station to the bridge leading up to Angel Island was short, though in the stretch of Sonic carefully watching Tails for other signs of distress, it felt a lot longer. As Sonic continued to stay silent, Tails began to fall back, nuzzling into Sonic's shoulder for comfort, and he wrapped an arm around the fox to continue walking.

Finally, Sonic made the connection. The reason for their trip.

Tails slid out of his grasp, “Can you wait here for a second?”

“Hm? Yeah, sure.”

Tails had stopped them in the forest, just before the clearing where Mighty and Knuckles would watch the Master Emerald. He stayed for a second, then he began to retreat into the forest.

“Tails?” Sonic watched as Tails turned to listen, “If you wanted to visit your parents, you could have told me. I don't mind.”

Tails seemed surprised for a moment, but he quickly regained his bearings as he ran away.

While Sonic was waiting for him to come back, he figured he might as well say hi to Mighty and Ray, but as he climbed the stairs of the pedestal, he realized that the armadillo and flying squirrel were nowhere to be found. He did notice the gentle hum of the Master Emerald though, as if Chaos was lost in thought.

“Hey.” Sonic’s voice broke him from his musings, “I have a question for you.”

The hum dulled to a softer feeling, and Sonic lifted his arm to touch the gem.

_The first thing Sonic said after he'd opened his eyes was, “Where are Mighty and Ray?”_

_He was standing in a lush garden full of chao. The tiny creatures gathered around the trees, tugging giant ripe fruits from their branches, and gathering in groups to chatter mindlessly. Sonic was familiar with chao gardens, but he’d never had the pleasure of visiting one._

_They have left to take a rest together. Chaos was sitting in a group of chao, giving each of them a pat on their head. The emerald will be fine for a few minutes._

_Sonic still had a bad feeling about that, but he didn't think much of it, “Where are we?”_

_Chaos gently handed a chao to Sonic, and Sonic pat its head. It exclaimed happily, the tiny ball above its head morphing into a heart shape. Sonic smiled._

_This was my land._

_Sonic sat beside Chaos in the grass, “You had your own tribe?”_

_I tend to think of it more as a division. Chaos’ watery eyes were misted with nostalgia. I do have my own gem, even if it is seldom included in the main seven. Every chao you see in the world is one of my children, and every sanctuary is blessed with my power. I ask that you treat them well._

_“Of course.” As Sonic continued to pet the chao in his arms, another one bumped into his arm and made a noise of irritation._

_They get impatient. Chaos lifted the annoyed chao himself. Do not worry, little one. There are enough hands for all of you._

_Sonic took the advice to heart, petting as many chao as he could get his hands on. They loved the attention, so soon he was surrounded by the tiny creatures, all hoping to receive pats from the young hedgehog. Sonic laughed when one of them jumped up to grab his ear._

_“Hey hey, buddy! You’ll get your turn!” Sonic flattened his legs out in front of him so the chao could sit in his lap, “Hey Chaos, is there any particular reason why I have such a strong connection to you? Do you have, like, power over that?”_

_Chaos let some of the chao sit on his head and shoulders. Not necessarily. My power is unpredictable by nature, but there is a reason you and your siblings have a connection to me._

_“Wha-really? For real?”_

_Are you surprised, child? Chaos freed one of his arms to place on Sonic’s back. It is odd, to be truthful. One day, a young couple came to my emerald to offer a prayer. They could not conceive, so they came to me to ask for a child. I took pity on them, as I often do for mortals when they need help, so I gave them the blessing of fertility._

_“No way!”_

_Sonic’s exclamation scared the chao nearby enough that they fell away from him before scrambling back into his hold. A few of them got bored, so they switched places with the chao at the trees, and a few of the chao who had already eaten decided they wanted pats too. Sonic smiled at them as they approached._

_“The reason I was even born was because of you?”_

_Chaos’ gurgling laugh was hard to distinguish among the many sounds of nature. Yes. You are a child born of my blessing. You were bound to have some form of connection to me._

_“What about my siblings? How come they don't have the same gift for controlling Chaos?” Sonic lifted another chao to pet them as well._

_Chaos let some of the chao go to collect fruit for their friends, the sweet juice dripping from their mouths. I do not know, I can only speculate, but my hypothesis is that you also have a connection to my brother, Sonar. After all, there are many direct descendants to every ancient, however only a select few can become wielders. Tell me, Sonic; What separates you from your siblings?_

_Sonic thought about the question, his hand on the small chao slowing down. A lot of things made him different from his siblings. Sonia and Manik had already stopped doing heroing stuff, now that their families, both biological and adoptive, were safe and sound where they lived. Sonia had already moved on to do things like buy huge sketchbooks to create fashion pieces, and Manik had become a stagehand for a theater on Christmas Island. Even when they fought alongside Sonic, they did so out of kindness and obligation, not because they found it particularly fun or rewarding. As Sonic continued this train of thought, he realized he had already found the answer Chaos wanted from him._

_“I’m a hero.” Sonic resumed his petting of chao when one of them bumped against his hand, “Is that it? You can’t just save people, you have to love saving people?”_

_It must be your choice. Chaos confirmed. There is no other way. My power is fueled by emotion, so if you have passion, you will be able to use my power far better than anyone else. It is what all of my siblings wanted, including your ancestor, Sonar._

_Sonic gazed into the palm trees in the distance. It was cool enough here that he suspected they were near the ocean. He set down all the chao he was holding to rest his head in his hands._

_“The ancients wanted heroes.”_

_It would have provided an ideal situation for peace. After all, you cannot stop people from becoming evil. It is something we had to learn from experience. It wasn’t something we planned for, rather it was a solution they came to when I was young. It was how we kept villains at bay, and Sonar was happy to lead them._

_“That’s amazing.”_

_A harsh wind cut through the garden, and Chaos stood up as the chao began to disappear in the fading light._

_“Is someone trying to wake me up already?” Sonic’s heart sank as he remembered that this garden wasn’t real. It was just Chaos’ distant memory of the past, “Wait, there was something else I wanted to ask you!”_

_Be calm, child. Chaos rose his arm. It has halted. Ask away._

_Sonic shook his head to clear the disorientation of nearly being ripped from his dream, “How do we find the Chaos Emeralds?”_

_Chaos looked to the ground, as if he would find his answer there._

_I do not know for certain. They have no power, and they cannot recharge without the planet’s aid. As far as I know, they are no different now than any ordinary rock._

_“But they can’t be broken.” Sonic reached out to Chaos to give himself stability from the wavering garden, “Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here.”_

_Chaos allowed the child to lean into his arms. Correct. The Master Emerald, which houses my spirit, is just fine. It may be your key to recovering the lost emeralds._

_“How?”_

_I will show you. Chaos let go. But first, you need to wake up._

_“No!”_

_***_


	21. Chapter 21

**February - Year 2**

Sonic blinked. His fingers still brushed the surface of the emerald as he stood back in the real world, in his own body. He registered familiar voices in the next second.

“It might be important. We don’t want to mess up Sonic talking to Chaos.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, just don’t do it again. He’ll wake up on his own.”

Sonic turned to his left as he let his arm fall. Mighty and Ray were talking to each other in hushed voices, but when Sonic looked at them, Mighty straightened up.

“Sonic. I didn’t expect to see you around today.”

“Well, I didn’t expect to be here today either.” Sonic fiddled with the cuff on his glove. He always lost some feeling in his fingertips when he communicated with the ancient spirit, “How long have you been standing there?”

“Not long. We just left to get a snack.” Mighty gave the massive gem a knock, “So what brings you here, my man?”

“Oh, you know. Been in the house too long, had a question for Chaos...” he left out a few details, “How have you guys been?”

“Pretty good. We just traded off with Knuckles a few hours ago, so we'll be here awhile.” Mighty stretched his arms in the air, “It's so weird, though. The literal second I left Knuckles to his shift, the emerald was stolen and I had to help him get it back. I don't know what happened, I had it for hours with no problem.”

Something clicked in Sonic's head, but he didn't say anything.

“So what did Chaos say? He still seems kind of agitated.”

“Oh, right.” Sonic scrutinized the Master Emerald, just making out Chaos’ blurry form inside, “He said something about finding the emeralds using the ME, but he said I had to wake up first.”

Mighty brought a hand to his chin, his head tilting to the side, “Why would he say that?”

“Beats me.” Sonic lifted a hand to the gem, but it lightly zapped him, “Ouch! Is he planning something?”

“You okay?”

“Yeah.” Sonic shook his hand, but the shock left no mark, in fact it hadn't really hurt, it was just surprising, “Chaos? You still in there?”

“I am still here.”

“Whoa!”

Sonic hadn't been expecting to _hear_ Chaos’ voice out loud. After he jumped out of his skin, he searched for Chaos until his eyes landed on the tall spirit, except that he was no longer a spirit at all. He was in a body made of water, just like when Sonic had beaten him in his perfect form using all seven emeralds so many years ago. Chaos stood still, the waving of the water in his body the only indication that he was conscious.

“Whatever is the matter, child?” Chaos had just a hint of amusement in his soft voice, “Did you not think I had it in me?”

Sonic touched the Master Emerald again, but there was a distinct difference this time. While power still simmered under the surface, Chaos’ personal aura was more absent, resembling the feeling of a regular Chaos Emerald.

“You're here.” Sonic marvelled, “You're _here!_ Like, for real! You're really here!”

“Yes, child. I am. Though, we must make haste, as I cannot last in this form.”

“Wait, so...” Sonic realized he was fidgeting, so he forced his hands to stay at his sides, “The emeralds?”

“That's right.” Chaos lay a hand over his gem, “The emeralds have no power, but the Master Emerald does, and it is directly connected to the emeralds. Sonic, I want you to mirror my action.”

Sonic reached out his arm to touch the master emerald once more, noting the waves of power that rolled through his body.

“Now focus. I am going to teach you a trick that will allow you to find any relic of mine as long as you have another working relic.” Chaos concentrated, and more power buzzed up Sonic's arm, “Now focus, think of your goal, and do not let it waver.”

Sonic decided it would be easiest to start with his own emerald, so he brought the familiar blue gem into his mind. He focused on it as hard as he could, remembering the feeling of holding it and tapping into its power, but no matter how he focused, nothing happened.

“Um...” Sonic looked away from the ancient, “Am I doing it wrong?”

“No. Do not fear, it simply takes practice. Try again, and do not waver. I know you can do it.”

Sonic risked a glance at Mighty, who dropped his bewildered expression to give Sonic a smile and a thumbs-up.

So Sonic closed his eyes and tried again, reaching out with his soul to focus on his blue emerald. He kept it in his mind, not allowing his mind to wander, until suddenly, a lush green field played on the back of his eyelids. He could hear a waterfall flowing in the distance, while the clashing of metallic weapons drowned out voices that yelled at each other nearby. The scene became increasingly blue-shifted until the metal gates that appeared gave away the location.

Sonic's eyes snapped open, “I know where that is!”

Chaos’ free arm hovered just behind Sonic in case he wavered and fell, “That was phenomenal work, my child. Now, tell me. Do you feel that?”

Sonic listened. The buzzing of Chaos energy faded from his body until he realized that another kind of power was radiating at him from his hammerspace pocket. He reached behind him to search for the source, and when he pulled back, he realized why it had been important for him to have it.

“Annie gave that to you for a reason.”

The Sol Emerald. In this light, it was clear that the square-shaped gem was purple, though it shone brightly enough that it looked more like a lilac color. Sonic stared in wonder at it.

“I can use this to channel that new trick!” Sonic threw the Sol Emerald into the air to catch it again, “Thanks, but why didn't Annie just tell me herself?”

“I am sure she wanted to, however don't forget that her emerald is drained. She knew you would make it back to me anyway.”

Chaos’ body rippled, like he was about to collapse.

Sonic held out an arm, concerned, “Chaos?”

“I must go. My power is limited without the emeralds. Do not worry, we will speak again soon.”

Chaos’ form crumpled into a puddle, drying up until the Master Emerald’s aura returned to normal. Sonic looked between the Sol Emerald and where Chaos had disappeared to, finally having a clear goal in his head about how to counter Dark Gaia and Eggman.

“Sonic?”

Sonic turned to the voice. Tails was walking up the stone steps towards him, his expression neutral, but unreadable.

“Hey, buddy.” Sonic smiled, stashing the Sol Emerald, “How was your visit?”

“Fine.” Tails paused to look between the three of them, “Did something happen?”

“Something happened alright.” Sonic gave Mighty a quick wave before retreating back down the stairs, one arm around his friend, “I'll tell you all about it, but first we need to go home.”

***

Sonic already had a plan in his head. His emerald was in the courtyard of Elise's castle. He would simply get there, retrieve it, and then at least be able to get one emerald back to its temple. He only hoped it would be enough to fix the planet.

When he opened the door, however, he stopped in his tracks. Knuckles and Amy were arguing with...!

“Orbot? And Cubot!?”

Eggman's right-hand minions. The red robot spoke first, resembling a split orb with a body and arms inside.

“Sonic! Thank goodness you're here! We need your help!”

“No way! You guys are evil!” Sonic snarled, “What are you doing here!?”

“It's Eggman!” Orbot trembled at Sonic's feet, “Eggman needs your help! I'm afraid he's been kidnapped!”

Kidnapped?

The word made Sonic's quills stand on end. Kidnapped? But that wasn't right, Eggman was the bad guy. He kidnapped other people, he even _killed_ sometimes, why…?

Lyric was still alive.

Sonic's blood turned to ice in his veins. He picked up on details he had missed before. Both Orbot and Cubot were covered in burns, scuffs, chipped paint, and even cuts that showed off the silver and black colors of their casing. Eggman would never let his robots leave base in such a poor state, even if he was personally upset with them.

“It took us ages just to get out!” Cubot looked the same as Orbot, except obviously shaped like a cube and painted yellow instead of red, “I don't think he could handle it much longer! Please help us get him out!”

Sonic stepped away until his back hit the door. He wanted to say no; Finally, another weight lifted off their shoulders, but Sonic's heroic side was screaming at him. Allowing someone to die through inaction was just as bad as killing them yourself. Even though Eggman was evil, even though he no doubt deserved to die after what he'd done, Sonic would never forgive himself if he was responsible for letting someone die.

“We can't.” Sonic finally said, his anger ebbing through his confusion, “We already have so much to deal with as it is, we can't just drop everything to save our enemy.”

“But where will we go!?” Orbot hid his face in his hands, “We don't have anything without him! What if he dies!? He's our creator! You have to do something!”

“I know you don't like him much, but don't let him die!” Cubot added, mirroring Orbot's expression of despair.

“He _hates_ me!” Sonic pointed out as he looked down on the two robots, “How would I even-!?”

“PLEASE!” Orbot and Cubot clasped their hands together as they exclaimed in unison.

Sonic couldn't help but take pity on them. They were no doubt evil, but they were also in a bad situation. They never even did anything bad outside of Eggman's orders, they were just minions.

It reminded him of Q-N-C. Defying his creator to help the heroes.

Sonic sighed heavily and dramatically, peering condescendingly into the round eyes of the robots of his arch-nemesis. The arch-nemesis that was also in danger.

“Fine.”

Orbot gasped, “Thank you! You won't regret this, I promise!”

“I better not.” Sonic roughly pushed past them, “Not right now, though. I need a nap.”

The two small robots tried to follow him, but he glared at them when he reached his room, closing and locking the door to separate them.

***


	22. Chapter 22

**March - Year 2**

Sonic tentatively approached the castle gates, and again he was let in with no questions. Perfect. He could easily be in and out before Elise had even known he was there. Not that he would have minded running into the elusive princess, but still.

He kept walking down the path until it diverged into the field, and he followed the sound of a waterfall until he found a stream full of black cobblestones. The workers who tended to this garden must have mistaken the dark emerald for one of the stones. Feeling with the Sol Emerald, he reached out until he found it; A white glimmer. The gem was still shiny, and it reflected the sun the way the black cobblestones didn't. Beaming at his success, he reached into the cold water to retrieve the emerald. It was drained, as it had been before, but it still resonated with him and made his chest feel a little warmer.

Pocketing both gems, he was about to leave when he got the sudden sensation that someone was watching him. Looking around, however, he was alone. It made his skin crawl. What was giving him that feeling?

He began a steady pace towards the front gate, but the sensation wouldn't leave. It crept into him until it mingled with his werehog form, tugging him, making him gag.

Something was here, and it recognized him.

Was Elise in danger? He looked over his shoulder at the castle. It looked inconspicuous enough, but it was where the feeling was coming from. He figured he might as well check, so he turned around to head to the double doors. There were no guards posted here, and judging by the view through the stained-glass windows, there were no guards inside the castle either. It only intensified Sonic's uneasiness, so he carefully twisted the knob on one of the heavy doors and pushed it open. It made a soft creak as it moved.

As he stepped inside, his ears picked up the tell-tale sounds of a battle. He ran towards it, nearly slipping on the polished marble floors. The sounds got louder, and suddenly Sonic really did slip, but it wasn't on the polish this time.

It was on blood.

It wasn't much blood, but it was unmistakable. It made Sonic feel sick, but another sound made his gaze shoot up. Elise was here. Her tall frame shook as she wiped the sweat from her brow, jumping and swaying on her feet to deliver powerful blows with her light staff to a black mass that hovered over her. It continued to strike, but Elise was running out of energy, and she was fighting to keep herself and her loyal soldiers alive. Sonic snapped watching it.

“ELISE!” Sonic shot forward on his feet, “DUCK!”

She turned to him in confusion, but she obeyed as Sonic flew above her head, striking the monster back and giving her a chance to rest.

Sonic stood hunched over after he'd landed, watching his adversary for any sudden moves. It was not interested in him, however. It was trying to get around him. To the princess.

“Elise, you have to get out of here!” Sonic shouted as he quick-stepped to block the pursuit if the monster, “I'll take care of this thing, you need to protect yourself!”

“I can't go!” Elise panted, holding tight to a wound on her shoulder, “This is my duty! You have to leave!”

“No way! I’m a hero! So I'm saving you, whether you want me to or not!”

Elise realized she had an opportunity as Sonic was distracting the monster. She lifted her staff to charge a magical barrier, aiming it just right at the inky void. Then, she fired.

The thing fell backwards screaming, and Sonic ricocheted off the reaction, panicking as his shoes scrambled to find traction on the slippery floor.

By the time he'd finally stopped sliding Elise was running at him, and suddenly she was in his arms.

“RUN!”

He needed no further instruction. He bolted from the castle as fast as his feet could carry him, feeling the pursuit of the darkness breathing down his neck. He finally found traction on the grass outside, shooting right past the garden and jumping over the fence that surrounded the castle.

“Hey! Get back here!” the guards tried to chase him, but we're cut off by the monster.

“I can't outrun it!” Sonic kept looking behind him as his hands slipped on Elise's white dress, “If I go any faster, I might hurt someone!”

“Isn't there a way you can teleport us away!?” Elise held tight to his shoulders, “You have an affinity for Chaos, right!?”

Sonic didn't have time to wonder where she'd heard that. Could he use Chaos Control with a Sol Emerald? He decided he might as well try it. He focused on it, his goal in his mind as he uttered the words, “Chaos _control!”_

Evidently, it worked. The streets of Soleanna gave way to the forest near Station Square. The sun was a lot lower in the sky here, and it made Sonic's stomach flip. He gently set the princess on her feet, stopping to sit beneath a nearby tree and taking several long, slow breaths.

“Nice work.” Elise knelt carefully so her dress didn't touch the earth, “You live up to your reputation, I see.”

Sonic noticed the way the sun behind her made a halo around her red hair, “Heh. That's me! Sonic the Hedgehog, at your service, your highness!”

“Um...” Elise frowned, “Please, don't call me that out here. No need for formalities outside the castle, okay? When I'm not in attendance, I am just Elise. Understand?”

“Yeah, I get it.” Sonic reached for her, “Oh, your injuries...”

“I'll be fine.” Elise lifted her hand from her bloodied shoulder, where the wound had already closed itself, “I have magic, in case you didn't notice.”

Everything about her reflected playfulness. It was like she had managed to retain some of her childhood even as she was forced to grow up to assume the role of Queen. It was intriguing, to say the least.

“What happened back there?” Sonic crossed his legs in front of him, “Was that…?”

“Don't say its name. It will follow where It is called.” Elise brushed her skirt down, smearing it with blood, “But yes, that was it. Seems its patience finally snapped and it tried to take the crown by force. Of course, that can't happen. The only way to take it is through me, as the last surviving member of the royal family. As long as I hide from it, it can never have what it wants.”

It was something she'd said before, and it was still just as puzzling now as it was then.

Elise lifted his chin, “You haven't even asked for your reward yet.”

The statement jerked Sonic from his musings, “What?”

“Come on.” Elise’s smile, gentle and patient, returned to her face, “Don't you know the classic reward for rescuing a princess?”

“O-oh!” Sonic laughed nervously, hoping his blush wasn't so noticeable, “Um, a kiss, right?”

Sensing his discomfort, she said, “It doesn't have to be on the lips. I typically give heroes like you a kiss on the forehead as thanks for their good deed. Would that be alright with you?”

“I mean...” hero or no, how many people could say they've been kissed by a princess? “If you insist.”

Elise laughed, such a sweet sound, “Alright, hold still.”

Sonic closed his eyes as Elise took his head in her hands to press her lips gently to his forehead, just below the space between his ears. She lingered for one second, then she leaned back.

“Thank you for saving me.”

“Ah.” Sonic’s heart was beating faster, “You're welcome.”

“Don't worry.” she winked, “My lipstick doesn't stain.”

A hero and a princess. A tale as old as time. It would make sense for him to court her, as knights who save damsels was romanticized in popular classic fairy tales. Something held him back, though. Even if it was encouraged, that was still no indication that it was the right choice, and Sonic didn't like committing to things like that.

“Oh, the sun is going down.” Sonic stood up to dust himself off, “I need to get back home. Would you like to come with me?”

“Well, I have nowhere else to stay at the moment, do I?” Elise let Sonic pick her up bridal-style, as she was too tall to carry any other way, “Thank you.”

“Hey, no worries.” Sonic ran at a measurable pace, “Besides, I think you'll be a great addition to the team.”

***


	23. Chapter 23

**March - Year 2**

Sonic lay on the couch, letting his mind wander until the commercial break on his show would conclude. Tails was close to finding out where Eggman was being held by Lyric, which meant that he was close to actually having to rescue his number one enemy. Joy of joys, he just didn't want to think about it.

Knuckles, Amy, Silver, Blaze, Chip, Tails, and...Orbot and Cubot were all the heads he counted. Shadow and Elise had been here, but they were in another room. Sonic imagined they were drinking tea and discussing ancient literature together, though of course they were probably just prepping for the mission. Sonic himself was all decked out in his sportswear, but that didn't mean his heart was in it. Or his head.

Tails was lounging in one of the oversized bean bag chairs, not watching the show at all, as his eyes were on his Miles Electric. He set the device down to lean back, the motion catching Sonic's eye.

“I found him.”

It was kind of ironic that the first time Tails had found the scientist, Sonic was ready for a fight, but after hearing it this time, all it did was make him sink further into the cushions.

“No false alarm?”

“You wish.” Tails took his time standing up, “We should leave now. Lyric is likely to move base if we wait.”

Sonic gazed at the hopeful faces of the two robot henchmen, “Ugh! Do we have to?”

“Hey, you're the one who agreed to this!” Knuckles was on his stomach on the floor, “We don't have to save Eggman.”

“I know, but, like...” Sonic buried his face in the cushions so his voice was muffled, _“Can't someone else save him? Does it have to be us?”_

“No! It must be you!” Orbot floated up from his seat on the other couch.

“You don't even _like_ Eggman.” Sonic reluctantly sat up to rub his eyes, “Why can’t you just stay with us? You can be _our_ minions! Who needs that selfish scientist anyway?”

Orbot considered it, “That does sound nice, actually...”

“No!” Tails flew above the group, “Nobody deserves to be captured by Lyric! I should know that better than anyone! So get off your asses and find where that snake is hiding!”

Everyone was on their feet in the next second, and Tails landed by the front door, satisfied.

“Tails, I’m so sorry.” Amy said without thinking.

Tails pinched the bridge of his nose, “It’s fine. Let’s just go.” he led the way out of the house, “Shadow?”

“Up here.” Shadow landed on the porch, running his hands through his unruly quills.

“Is it time to go already?” Elise had been sitting cross-legged on the ground, but now she was standing up, “Where to?”

“I’ll show you.” Tails headed towards the clearing nearby, “Oh, and uh...Sonic? It’s nighttime over there right now. Just so you know.”

_Oh._

“Hm? Why is that important?” Elise towered over everyone else that was there, especially the two tiny robots minions, “Are you afraid of the dark?”

“Uh…” Sonic scratched his head, “Kinda, but I have a good reason for it!”

“He really does.” Tails carefully reached out to touch the wing of his plane, something like resolve clouding his features.

He still hadn't flown it since his capture.

Sonic wrapped him in a side-hug, “Will you be okay?”

Tails took a shaking breath. Even through his limited contact, Sonic could tell that his friend's heart was racing.

“Yeah.” Tails jumped into the pilot's seat, “I'm okay. Flying is one of my greatest passions, and I'm not letting Lyric take that away from me.”

“Cool.” Sonic lounged on the wing beside him, “Just lemme know if you start to feel sick.”

“Yeah.” Tails started the engine, and the rest if the heroes scrambled to find their seat, “I will!"

“Sonic!?”

Sonic realized that one person hadn't made it on the plane, “Elise!” Sonic jumped to the ground, shouting over the noise, “You can take this front passenger seat! That's it, easy does it!”

Sonic took her hand to help her climb up the plane, noticing that although she still wore a short white dress, she had ditched her delicate panty hoes for a sturdier pair of black leggings. She still wore heels, which was baffling, but he'd seen how she could move in them, and they weren't much taller than Amy or Blaze's heels, so he didn't think much of it.

“Okay,” Tails slowly leaned back on the controls, “Let's see if she can still fly with this many people on it!”

Sonic flicked his cheek, earning a laugh from the small fox, “Tails, you built this plane for seven people, eight people and two tiny robots should be nothing!”

“I know, I know!” the plane began its trek down the makeshift runway through the grass, “But people aren't exactly aerodynamic, are they!?”

“You prepared for that too!”

The plane shot into the air as the boys continued to laugh, and the rest of the group basked in the hint of normalcy before they made it to Lyric's base. They quieted, and the roar of the plane drowned out the rest of the sounds that would be heard. To Sonic's relief, the facility in question was further into the country, so there was no water below them.

“Tails.” Shadow gripped the edge of the cockpit, “It's not really this way, is it?”

“Uh, yeah?” Tails checked his map, “We'll be there in about fifteen minutes, why?”

“No, that isn't possible.”

“Whoa, Shads.” Sonic instinctively grabbed his arm when that splotchy blush began to come back. He shivered when he felt something cold beneath Shadow’s skin, like he was freezing from the inside out.

“I have to leave.” Shadow nearly stumbled into Silver when he tried to stand, “I have to-!”

“No, Shadow!”

“None of you are safe while I'm here!” something dark shone behind Shadow’s irises, “I have no choice. I'm sorry.”

“SHADOW!”

Shadow jumped off the plane, falling into the trees below before the forest gave way to desert.

“SONIC!” Silver caught him with his powers before he could go after the black arms hybrid, “If you fall from this high, you could end up killing yourself!”

“But...” he continued to look down at the land whizzing by beneath them, Even as Silver carefully set him down.

“We don't have time to swing back around for him!” Tails adjusted his amber goggles, “We'll just have to keep going and hope he catches up!”

Sonic narrowed his eyes as he gazed behind them at the retreating woods.

“Let's just hope he'll be fine without us.”

***


	24. Chapter 24

**March - Year 2**

The clouds were thick overhead, so Sonic didn't have to worry about revealing his werehog form to Elise just yet. Even though the light of the moon was blocked, Sonic could still feel the coolness in his blood seeping up into his skin. The monster inside him was agitated, and it was driving him crazy.

Tails landed the plane and shifted his goggles to his forehead, “Let's get in, quick.”

Sonic was grateful for the excuse to get down and hide in the shadows of the cliffs, “You need help, Elise?”

“I got it.” Elise hopped down from her seat, her heels clacking on the smooth rocks, “But thank you. You're such a gentleman.”

Tails was tapping something on his device, “I'll get the door. Stand back.”

He plugged the device into the control panel beside the door, breaking inside it with practiced ease. The inside was just as barren as the outside. No guards, no workers, not even any objects. Just smooth metal hallways. Tails led the group forward, turning on his Electric's flashlight as he did so.

“Whoa.” Tails pocketed the cords he'd used to hack the base, “This place is _massive.”_

Sonic looked over his shoulder. The building was rife with hallways like this, probably to deter intruders.

“Utter silence is a bad omen.” Blaze used her fire to light the rest of the hallway, “Be on your guard.”

Silver turned his back to the group, “You don't have to tell _me_ that.”

“Is this place even running?” Knuckles pressed his ear to the wall, “It's totally still.”

“No, knuckles,” Sonic stuck close to Tails as he scrutinized his digital map, “Because buildings don't run.”

Knuckles sighed, “This isn't the time for your dumb jokes, Sonic.”

Sonic fixed Knuckles with a grin and finger guns, “Oh I beg to differ. _Every_ time is good for my dumb jokes.”

Tails held up his hand, “Both of you be quiet, I've got a signal.”

Tails began to run, and everyone else hurried to keep up. Sonic hung near the back of the group to make sure nobody got left behind, but it was slow compared to his usual pace, so the group ended up staying together. Finally, Tails slowed, his expression morphing into one of surprise.

“Metal?”

Sonic jumped at the name, “Metal? Is he close?”

“No, he isn't moving.” Tails tapped the screen, “Look, his signal is weak, and he's stuck in this square.”

“He's stuck?” Amy let her hand rest on top of Tails’ as he held the device, “Since when does Metal get stuck?”

Tails chewed on his lip, “I don't know, but we'd better be cautious.”

Sonic put his arm in front of Tails, “Wait. Do you hear that?”

It sounded like the whir of a computer that was running. Tails specifically knew it as the sound a spinning disc makes inside a hard drive.

“Stay behind me.”

Sonic crept forward, nearly on the tips of his toes. Step after step, he followed the sound until he turned the corner on Tails’ map. As it turned out, the square Tails was talking about was a jail cell, with three metal walls and one row of metal bars. Inside was a familiar shock of glowing red eyes.

_Please help me._

Sonic shuttered. Metal was in pieces. Literally. His left arm and leg were missing, and he had a gash in his head that exposed raw, sparking wires. Orbot and Cubot flew past Sonic to grip the bars.

“Metal Sonic!” Orbit tried to reach inside.

_Orbot! Cubot!_ Metal struggled to lift his remaining arm, _Please help me!_

Sonic’s anger flared through his sympathy, “Why should we help you, Metal? You tried to kill Tails, that automatically puts you on my hit list.”

_I was not trying to kill him!_ Metal desperately spoke, though his voice chip was bound to fail, _I only wanted to kill you! The fox would not be worth it!_

“Sonic, we must get him out of there!” Orbot bowed his head towards the hero.

“That's our brother!” Cubot cut in, “You gotta save him!”

Sonic’s brow twitched as a headache pounded against his temples. He didn't bother to fight it this time. He never wanted to kill Metal anyway.

“Silver, can you bend those bars?”

“I'll try.” Silver reached out to grab them in a beam of turquoise light, “Blaze, see if you can heat them up for me.”

Blaze did just that, enveloping the bars in fire until they glowed. Silver grunted in concentration as he firmly forced the bars apart, leaving an opening big enough to walk through. Blaze then retracted the flames, cooling the metal in a second so it could be safely touched.

“Now that's teamwork.” Sonic stepped inside, kneeling by Metal’s head to place a hand on his forehead.

“Allow me.” Tails stepped in after him, “I don’t have my entire toolbox with me, but I can at least get him back into acceptable condition.”

The first thing he did was wrap each exposed cable in electrical tape, making sure each copper tip touched, before tucking them back inside Metal’s head. He pulled the casing closed, then secured it with more tape. After that, he tested Metal's joints and applied a bit of oil where they squeaked, then he wrapped up the exposed joints in more tape.

“That should do for now.” Tails carefully lifted Metal’s head, “Can you stand?”

Orbot and Cubot wrapped their arms around Metal's waist, allowing him support as he lifted himself onto his one leg.

_This should be adequate for now._

“I'll take it.” Tails stashed his tools in his toolbelt, “But we can't rest here. There's still a scientist we have to free.”

_Father._ Metal swayed, but his smaller brothers held him up, _That snake will pay for what he did. I will tear his throat out myself._

“You and me both, Metal.” Sonic stepped back into the hallway, where the rest of the team was waiting, “Tails?”

“Yeah. Eggman is that way.” Tails returned to his GPS program, “Guys, make a shield around the robots. Let's keep going.”

Orbot and Cubot floated in the air, so each time Metal hopped forward, they didn't need to stagger to keep up. Sonic once again hung at the back of the group so he could offer an arm if all three of them stumbled, though, every time he offered help, Metal would gruffly turn away, like he was ashamed. Sonic wasn't surprised. He wouldn't like receiving help from someone he wanted to kill, but he didn't bother to feel sorry for him in this aspect.

“Here.” Tails stopped them, “Right here.”

Sonic peered into the cell. It was at the entire other end of the hallway, as if Lyric had intentionally kept the two apart. It was too dark to see much of anything, but someone large and round was definitely struggling to breathe inside.

_Father!_ Metal freed himself from Orbot and Cubot's hold to collapse on the ground, _Father, it's me!_

The figure crawled to the edge of the confinement, reaching out a gloved hand to wrap around Metal's. His blue glasses had a crack in them, and his clothes were torn and caked with dried blood, but the bald eyebrows and bushy mustache were unmistakable.

“Eggman.” Sonic choked out, falling to his knees outside the cell, “Eggman, what did he do to you?”

“Sonic?” Eggman dropped Metal’s hand to prop himself up on his elbow, “Oh joy of joys. The only one who would rescue me is the one I want to skin and hang above my fireplace. Brilliant.”

Sonic was relieved that he was still acting like himself, though he was beaten and bruised, “No offense, Egghead, but you don't exactly endear people to you.”

“No, I suppose not.” Eggman rubbed the sore spot on his head where a bump was forming, “If only I programmed Mombot with combat capabilities...”

Sonic ignored the comment, “You'll have to stand back, old man. Blaze and Silver will get the door.”

“Oh, so just because I'm injured, that means you get to order me around!? I think not, hedge-!”

Silver rolled his eyes, grabbing Eggman with his powers to push him back against the far wall. Blaze heated the metal, Silver peeled it back, Blaze cooled the metal, and Silver yanked Eggman towards the opening, all the while Orbot and Cubot held Metal back so he didn't get hurt worse.

“-HOG!” Eggman fell on his face, “Ow.”

_Father!_ Metal practically threw himself at the scientist.

“Sonic!” Eggman forced himself to his shaking knees to hold the robot close.

“I can't believe this.” Sonic leaned against the cold bars of the cage, “We risk our hide to save our enemy, and you can't even drop the dumb egotistical act long enough to say thank you?”

Eggman didn't answer. Sonic gazed at the man and his robot another long second before he realized.

“Are you...” Sonic took a step towards him, “...crying?”

“No!” Eggman furiously wiped the tears away, “And don't come to be about having an ego when _yours_ is the size of the sun!”

“Nuh uh! I don't have an ego!” Sonic spat back, “Tails, do I have an ego?”

“Sonic, we don't have time for this.” Tails was already plotting their escape, tapping something into his device, “Silver, you might as well carry Eggman.”

“Ugh!” rather than carry him as Tails had asked, Silver just picked up the back of Eggman's collar and dragged him along the ground. Using his hands, not his powers. It didn't seem to give him any physical strain, so Sonic just smiled to himself at the absurdity of it as the group went back down the hallway where they'd come from.

_Almost there._

***


	25. Chapter 25

**March - Year 2**

“Guys, wait!”

Sonic turned to the voice to bare his teeth, “Q-N-C!”

“Yikes! Uh, guys you can't go back this way! It's a trap!”

“Yeah. Like we'll believe you.” Sonic stood like he was ready for a battle, but mostly he was just curious.

“Uh, look, I have to _pretend_ I'm loyal to Lyric when he's listening!” Q-N-C nervously wrung his metal hands together, “I must say though, I didn't expect you to get here so soon.”

“How did you know it was us!?” Tails went back through his code.

“Oh don't worry, Tails, you covered your tracks well.” Q-N-C assured, “But make no mistake, Lyric was expecting you here. After all, we are harboring prisoners.”

Eggman craned his neck from where Silver was dragging him, “I am no prisoner! And I will never be one!”

“You were captured.” Q-N-C crossed his arms, “That makes you a prisoner. Yeesh, no need to overcomplicate it.”

“Wait, Q-N-C.” Sonic stepped closer, darting his eyes around the barren hallway, “If that way is blocked, then how do we get out?”

“There's a shorter way to an exit over here.” Q-N-C gestured to a hallway with dim lights at the end, “It's not visible from the outside, but the door will open from in here. I need to go, though. Lyric will get suspicious.”

“Okay, but I have one last question.” Sonic crossed his arms, “How do we know we can trust you?”

“Uhh,” Q-N-C scratched his head, “I guess you don't know, but surely you believe that I hate Lyric. He does nothing but abuse his own allies! You guys are cool because even when you make mistakes, you don't have to be afraid of being thrown in the scrap heap! Just...you're at the heart of his facility. I'm probably your best bet of getting out.”

Sonic considered the logic. Q-N-C had been the only reason he escaped the previous facility with Tails. He only began to act hostile when he knew Lyric was watching. Still, Lyric was smart. It would be easy to trick them into thinking Q-N-C was on their side so they could be led into a false sense of security.

But it's not like they had a better plan, so...

“You guys need to leave now.” Q-N-C slipped into a slot on the wall, “Lyric will find you if you don't.”

Then he was gone.

“Well,” Sonic started down the dimly-lit hallway, “Stay behind me, guys.”

“No.” Knuckles put his arm in front of Sonic before he could bolt, “You're always at the helm, let me lead for awhile.”

“But.” Sonic took his arm, “What if you get hurt?”

“Exactly.” Knuckles roughly took his arm back, “Remember what Annie said? We're a team, so let me check for danger this time, okay?”

Sonic let his expression soften before he could argue. He knew Knuckles was just worried about him, even if he wouldn't admit it in front of so many people.

“We'll go together.” Sonic decided, “We'll have each other's backs. How does that sound?”

Knuckles inhaled through his teeth, “Okay, but be careful.”

“You too.”

Tails stood right behind them to point them in the right direction. He was able to verify Q-N-C’s claim of the extra door, as it showed up on the floor plan, but not as an ordinary door. It was a short walk, but the tension around them was high enough that Sonic and Knuckles led the group at a snail's pace. Sonic's quills were raised. Knuckles kept flexing his fists. They couldn't begin to guess why they were so on-edge, but Tails wondered if the walls had faulty wiring, which could mess with biological brainwaves. He ran a quick scan on the power grid of the facility, but all the wires were well insulated, so the fight-or-flight response must be from something else.

Maybe the paranoia was justified.

Sonic's ear flicked at a tiny sound, his voice coming out in a whisper, _“Guys.”_

 _“Huh?”_ Knuckles turned his back to his companion, not trusting the open space in the hallway, _“What's wrong?”_

 _“Shh.”_ Sonic held up a hand to make everyone stop, _“Listen.”_

Besides the ringing in their ears, the only sound that could be discernible was a very faint ringing sound, followed by a steady series of clicks.

Tails gripped his device tighter, _“We've been found.”_

Sonic froze at the sheer terror in Tails’ voice. The ringing got louder. The clicks turned into distant bangs.

“Guys, get behind me, NOW!”

The ceiling exploded, and robots began to fill every inch of the facility. Sonic ran at Tails, wrapping his arms around him and rolling under one of the attackers. The screen on the Electric broke. Tails held onto Sonic with all his recuperated strength. Sonic heard the telltale sound of Amy's hammer hitting the ground. Something scratched at Sonic's back, but he didn't let go, and he refused to stop running.

“LOOK OUT!” Elise swung her staff like a baseball bat, forcing two robots to explode into each other, “SONIC!”

Sonic tripped, losing his grip on Tails and crying out when he landed on his wrist. He hit the wall, and his vision blacked out for a moment. He cradled his wrist close as sharp pain was shooting up his arm.

“Tails.” Sonic forced himself to stand. He was about to run, but he stopped.

The fight was in the moonlight. The ceiling was broken, and the clouds had cleared enough to let the light shine through.

That brief moment of hesitation proved to be too long. Tails was swept up by one of the tougher-looking robots, and he was frozen in nothing but pure-blooded fear.

“Tails!” Knuckles tried to break free from the robots that had thrown him against the wall of the cramped hallway, “SOMEBODY HELP HIM!”

Amy jumped over her pursuer, but two more blocked her way. Every trail of fire Blaze made didn't even scratch the casing of any of them, forcing her to use her arms and legs to fight. Silver took a massive blow to his forehead, screwing with his concentration. Elise almost made it, but a robot grabbed a hold of her staff, and since she didn't let go, she was pulled with it, and she rolled to a stop several feet away before she could even try to stand again.

Sonic began to panic. Every second he didn't act was another second someone was getting hurt. He didn't even see the robot allies or Eggman. Were they already recaptured? Why couldn't Shadow be here!? This would be easy for him!

It would be, right?

It didn't matter. Sonic steeled himself. Lyric knew them. All of the Wielders had an ancestor that was his brother or sister. Sonic himself was so similar to Sonar that Lyric refused to call him anything else.

In other words, Sonic was predictable, and that's not how you win a fight.

Sonic took a step forward. Then another, and another. He called on the monster inside him. Instead of resisting the change as he so often did, he welcomed it. He crossed the threshold into the moonlight, willing the change into his arm first so he could reach out and grab Tails, tearing through the robot's grip and bringing the fox right back to him. His other arm changed next, throwing a punch at the confused robot and crashing into the next row of robots. Sonic embraced every change; His thicker fur, his bulkier muscles, the claws, the voice, even the huge sharp teeth. He wore his werehog form like armor as he destroyed every robot nearby, forcing the other robots to free his friends to come after him again and again, and Sonic laughed through all of it.

And every change was perfectly, gloriously painless.

“Sonic!” Blaze was finally able to focus on her inferno, breaking each and every robot before shooting a fireball inside their casing, “How did you do that!?”

In his moment of peace, Sonic checked on Tails, who was panting as he leaned on the wall.

“They're specialized.” Sonic threw his arm to the side to pluck Amy from the mess, “Lyric knows our ancestors. We need to fight in ways he won't expect if we want to win.”

Blaze smiled wide, “Hey, Silver! ENERGY SWORD!”

“Wha...?” Silver held his head, “Ener...ENERGY SWORD!”

Blaze threw a fireball at him and he excitedly took it in his powers to sharpen into a blade, then he wrapped the blueish mist around his wrist to secure the blade and began to swing it at his attackers.

“ENERGY SWORD!” 

Sonic reached out his arm again to shove the robots holding Knuckles hostage out of the way.

“Ugh!” Knuckles fell, so Sonic caught him, “There's too many! We can't fight them all!”

“Then let's get out of here!” Sonic let Knuckles rest on his back, “Tails! Amy!”

“Right here!” Amy took his arm, and Tails wrapped his arms around his shoulders.

“Silver! Blaze!” Sonic barked, “Elise!”

The rest of the group gathered around him, keeping an eye out for wherever their rescued prisoners had disappeared to.

“There!” Silver reached out with his powers to lift the four of them from the middle of the new wave of deadly robots. Eggman, Metal Sonic, Orbot, and Cubot.

“Hold on!” Sonic stretched his left arm to wrap around everyone in a tight knot, “Silver and Elise! Make sure nobody falls!”

The light surrounded them. Sonic looked up, where the moonlight still shone down on them. He reeled back his free arm, then he threw it all the way up the rest of the facility to grip the opening at the very top.

“That's not going to work!” Tails cowered at the sight of hoards of robots that marched toward them, “You can't lift all of us at once!”

Sonic tried to tug on the opening, but it bent before they were even a foot off the ground.

“GET US OUT OF HERE YOU STUPID HEDGEHOG!” Eggman screamed into his ear.

“I'M TRYING!” finally, he found purchase, and all of them shot into the air.

“Sonic!” Silver’s powers strained, “I can't hold onto so many people at once!”

 _“Just a little longer!”_ Sonic jumped them through the ceiling.

“We're so high up!” Amy held onto Sonic's stretched arm around her waist, “We're going to fall!”

“I got it, _I got it!”_ Sonic threw his arm at the ground where the plane was hidden in the shadow of the building, trying to find a place to bring them back down. He cut his palm on the rocky surface, but he hardly felt it as the group began to fall faster and faster towards the robots that had made their way outside...

Suddenly though, they were no longer falling at all.

“Huh?” Sonic found his grip loosening.

Every robot beneath them exploded as they were surrounded by a bright warm light, gradually descending until they were gently set down. The light was bright enough that Sonic felt a tug on his monster form. It wasn't a violent tug, though. It was more of a soft and familiar tug. It was a tug that put him at ease. A tug of a friend.

“Hiya!”

The light dispersed until a small red creature with tufts of white fur became discernible through the dust. He landed, a bright smile on his face.

“Chip!?” Sonic was calm from the power, but intrinsically, he was annoyed, “I told you to stay at home! It's dangerous out here!”

“You always say that!” Chip flew into the air to cross his arms, “But I had to come. And anyway, I saved you, didn't I?”

“Whoa.” Eggman sat up from where he'd landed, feeling that the goose egg on his head was slowly receding, “What just happened?”

Sonic ignored him, “Chip, what do you mean? What did you do?”

“I saved you.” Chip explained, “With my limited power. Because, well...”

He shifted uncomfortably, and Sonic knew exactly what he was going to say next just before he said it.

“I remember now. I remember everything.”

***


	26. Chapter 26

**April - Year 2**

Silver stared down at his lunch on the coffee table as he sat in the living room. He didn't feel like eating. He never had much of an appetite anyway, but when his head was spinning faster than he could throw a mailbox, it became the last thing he wanted to do.

“Silver.” the couch dipped as Blaze sat beside him, “We need to go soon. Lyric will follow us here.”

He'd heard the story, and he didn't care, “I know.”

Blaze wrapped an arm around him, “I know you don't want to eat, but try to anyway. It'll be a long flight to Eggman's bunker.”

Silver leaned into her side. Blaze's hands were always warm. It didn't matter how long it had been since she used her powers, the magic was always just beneath the surface, ready to be used. By contrast, Silver's hands were always cold, especially on the circles where his power tended to gather as he used it. It was the reason he always wore thick gloves, even in the summer, because the power was conductive enough to pull his body heat away.

It momentarily distracted him from the crisis at hand.

Silver sighed, numbly reaching for his sandwich to take a small bite. It tasted like sandpaper on the roof of his mouth. Blaze stayed by his side until he swallowed, then she got up to leave the room.

“You still have fifteen minutes to get ready. I'll be outside if you need me.”

She closed the door behind her, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

He let his gaze drift out the window. Birds were singing in the fresh spring air as morning dew clung to the blades of grass that lined the house. He was so used to living out in the open by now, the idea of being shoved back underground where he never saw the sun made something prick at the back of his eyes.

Smoke created darkness. If it was too dark, it was an indication of imminent danger.

_“Is Silver still in the house?”_ Sonic's voice came from outside before the door opened, “Hey Sil, it's time...”

He stopped when Silver wrapped both arms around himself.

“Silver?” Sonic left the door open as he trekked further into the room, “You okay?”

Silver rested his arms in his lap, “Will it be dark?”

“Dark?” Sonic knelt by the couch, noting the barely-eaten sandwich, “You're not afraid of the dark.”

“Well, no...” Silver’s hands shook as he shivered, “But I am afraid that it'll be dark for a really long time. Back when I used to fight Iblis every day, I never saw the sun. Not even once. The fire created too much smoke.”

Sonic looked down at the ground, though his eyes didn't focus, _“Oh.”_

“So, answer my question.” Silver said, _“Will it be dark?”_

Sonic placed a hand on Silver's shoulder, “No. It won't be dark.”

Silver exhaled in relief, “Really?”

“Yeah. Eggman has told us, _way too many times, honestly,_ that his bunker gives every aspect of survival, including things that might seem superficial but are important for our well-being. So, I highly doubt it'll be dark.”

“I mean...” Silver stood, “Yeah. That makes sense.”

“Cool. We have to leave soon, so make sure your stuff is on the ship.” Sonic dashed from the house, once again leaving the door open, “Oh Tails, don't carry that by yourself!”

Tails was dragging his larger toolbox across the ground, flattening the grass as it moved. Sonic lifted the other side of it so it could be safely carried onto the giant ship.

“Hurry up, rodents!” Eggman was at the entrance of the door to the ship, “Lyric won't just wait for us to leave! Let's GO!”

“We're COMING!” Sonic set the toolbox among the cargo, “For crying out loud, you oversized piece of human garbage, you've been here for less than thirty minutes! How long does it take you to pack everything you own!?”

“No time at all! Because I’m not dumb enough to keep everything I own in the same building!”

_“Oi...”_ Sonic cast a sideways glance at Tails, who was wiping sweat from his brow, _“I’m regretting this already.”_

_“Me too.”_ Tails quietly agreed, _“Let’s stick together, okay?”_

_“Of course.”_ Sonic snapped his fingers a few times, “Yo Egghead, how about you do something useful for once and make sure all the cargo is secure?”

“I already told you! I am not harboring the Master Emerald in my bunker!”

“I know _you_ aren’t!” Knuckle’s voice came from further inside the ship, _“I_ am! _You_ do nothing!”

“ARGH!” Eggman tugged on his mustache, “Sonic, can you believe this!?”

_Father, we don’t have time for this._ Metal climbed down from one of the shelves in the storage bay, _We have to leave in approximately five minutes. Would you rather our reluctant allies follow the necessary procedures?_

_“I’m removing your sarcasm chip...”_ Eggman seethed between his teeth before he left, the door between the cockpit and the cargo bay closing behind him.

Sonic whistled, “You have a sarcasm chip?”

Metal stood at the back entrance of the ship, watching Silver use his powers to load the last of the cargo, _It is a piece of hardware that allows me to use a certain phrase while explicitly implying the opposite._

“Wow! That’s incredible!” Tails took out a notepad to jot something down.

_Naturally. I am the one true Sonic, after all._

Sonic rolled his eyes, “Alright, are you guys ready to go!?”

“Aw, already?” Amy had been in an intense discussion with Elise about what it was like being crown princess.

“Sorry, Amy.” Sonic took her hand as she boarded the ship, “Don’t worry. We’ll all be together.”

“And thank goodness for that.” Amy shot Elise a polite smile, “Wait, where’s Chip?”

“I’ll go find him.” Sonic headed back to the house at a brisk walk, “You guys make sure we’ve got everyone else, okay?”

He heard some vague replies behind him, but his attention had already shifted to Chip, and he knew exactly where he could find the elusive ancient. He made a beeline for the kitchen.

“Chip?” Sonic gazed into the sink, where a steady drip of water was landing rhythmically on the tiny creature’s head, “Chip, it’s time to go.”

Chip rolled over in the towel he was bundled against, “Already?”

“Yep. Sorry, buddy.” Sonic gathered the towel and Chip in his arms, “What’s got you in such a funk, anyhow? Your memories can’t be that bad.”

“No, Sonic, you don’t understand.” Chip flew into the air, shaking the moisture from his fur, “You keep hearing that the ancients split me in half, but that’s not true! I...” Chip pulled down on his ears so they flattened on his head, “I split myself in half. And then again, and again! I was in such an internal struggle. I tried to destroy my other pieces and my memories, but it didn’t work, and then the other ancients sealed me away for my madness-!”

“Whoa whoa! Slow down!” Sonic snatched up the panicking creature, “Chip, hey...”

No tears fell from Chip’s eyes, but he was still breathing heavily, and he clung to Sonic’s shoulders with an iron grip, “I can’t go back to that. I want to get rid of my memories again. I can’t live like this, I just want to be happy.”

Sonic carefully stooped to grab the discarded towel, wrapping it around Chip and continuing to hold him close as he headed towards the front door.

When Chip had finally quieted somewhat, Sonic sighed, “I was afraid of that.”

“Huh?” Chip gazed up at his friend with wide and watery eyes, “You mean you knew?”

“Well, no, but I suspected.” Sonic stopped before he could open the door, “After all, it’s what you proposed while you had amnesia, right?”

“Oh yeah, I did.” Chip’s thoughtfulness replaced his despair for only a moment, “It’s just because even that familiarity gave me such a world-ending feeling. I never wanted to hurt people. I didn’t mean to do anything!”

“Chip, listen to me!” Sonic held Chip to his face to glare into his eyes, “Calm down for a second, okay?”

Chip tensed, then he slumped, casting his gaze at the floor, _“Sorry...”_

“It’s okay. I know this has been bugging you for centuries. Literally.” Sonic laughed with no humor, “But listen, Chip; I get it. Dark Gaia does bad things, but without you, that evil isn’t going away.” he let go when he was assured Chip wouldn’t fall from the air, dropping the towel, “And besides; That is you. You’re still doing bad things, but without your moral compass, what do you think Dark Gaia is going to do? And are you really okay being less than a person? Broken into several smaller pieces?”

“I don’t know!” Chip rapped his fists on his forehead, “I just want to be happy! How can I be happy knowing that me and the entire earth is hurting people!?”

“So you just force yourself to forget every time you remember?”

Chip flinched before he covered his eyes like a guilty child.

“Come on.” Sonic gently steered him towards the door as he hovered, “The ship is leaving soon.”

***


	27. Chapter 27

**May - Year 2**

Sonic watched as civilization disappeared behind them. The ocean was a vast expanse beneath them, and it would take a long time before they would see land again. It made Sonic anxious, but he tried not to let his knee bounce, as it often did when he was forced to sit still. It took too much concentration for his liking.

“Metal?” Tails said out of the blue.

_What is it, fox?_

Tails brought a hand to his chin where he sat beside Sonic, “Why don't you have a solid state drive?”

Metal blinked at him, _What?_

“You have a hard drive, right?” Tails shifted in his seat so his tails weren't blocking his view of the back seats, “Why do you have a sarcasm chip but not a solid state drive?”

“Because solid state drives are expensive.” Eggman's gaze was solely on his task, but Sonic could see the annoyance in the twitch of his brow.

“And personality chips aren’t?” Tails leaned forward in his seat, “Hard drives break down so easily, why would you risk it?”

Eggman didn’t answer.

Sonic slid in his chair so he was slouching, the seat belt cutting into his neck, “Tails, how do you know what type of drive Metal has?”

“You mean you don’t hear it?” Tails’ ears swiveled, “Solid state drives make no sound. If Metal had one, all we would hear is the cooling fan, which is much quieter. Hard drives, on the other hand, make loud whiny sounds, like a spinning CD. Do you hear it?”

Sonic listened, “Is that what that is?”

“Yeah.” Tails spun his finger in the air, “Hard drives work because a laser writes information to a spinning disc, but spinning parts are more likely to break. It’s a wonder Metal is still alive honestly, because the only things that can break a solid state drive is intense physical damage, or if it’s very old, as there are no moving parts.”

“Wow.” Sonic glanced out the window, where clouds were steadily blocking the sunlight, “That really changes my perspective on fighting Metal.”

_Oh, give me a break, hedgehog!_ Metal gripped the back of Sonic’s chair, _If you start going easy on me, I will kill your friends just for fun!_

“Bad robot!” Sonic pushed against the seat belt to get away, “Bad touch! _Bad touch!”_

“Sonic! Put your seatbelt back on!” Eggman adjusted the overhead rearview mirror, “Don’t make me turn on the autopilot!”

_Uuuuugggghhhhhhhh!_ Metal dramatically flopped back into his seat to click his seat belt over his chest, crossing his arms angrily, _Father, I truly wish you would refrain from humiliating me._

All the heroes tried to hide their giggling, including Knuckles and Elise. Suddenly though, the situation made Sonic stop.

Tails was the first to notice, “Sonic?”

“What? No, it’s...” Sonic leaned his cheek on the window, “Nothing. It’s nothing.”

A silence passed over the crowded cockpit like a shadow.

“So, uh, Eggman.” Sonic loudly cleared his throat, “How much farther?”

Eggman adjusted his glasses with one hand, “Almost. It should be right here.”

Sonic searched the ocean below for any signs of land, and just on the horizon, a flat glacier appeared, indicating they were either far north or far south. That didn’t really register with Sonic at first, however.

It was how strikingly familiar the base was.

Sonic had no idea how, but that chilling familiarity made a knot of dread twist in his stomach.

“We’re here.” Eggman landed the ship inside the massive garage, shutting off the engine and opening the doors, “Get out.”

Sonic was glued to his chair. Why? Why was everything so familiar to him? Why did it make him feel so unsafe?

“Sonic?”

Sonic forced his legs to stand, “What? Yeah?”

Tails was standing at the door, “Are you coming?”

Sonic’s fur stood on end, and he tried to smooth it down with his hands before joining his friends in the garage. His feet touched down, and each of his steps echoed too loudly in his ears.

“Sonic?” Tails placed each hand on Sonic’s arms, “Are you okay?”

Sonic let his eyes wander. The garage was full of starliners, and had at least six doors that led into hallways to the rest of the facility. There were odd discrepancies that didn’t give Sonic such a bad feeling, but for the most part, the place was making his skin crawl in such a primal way. It made him wonder if the place was prone to flooding, and the image did not help his state of mind.

“Sonic?”

Sonic’s gaze snapped back to his friends, who were now looking at him in worry. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Instead, he lifted his hands to sign for the first time in months.

_Why does it feel so dangerous in here?_

Chip was the only one who seemed upset rather than concerned.

Tails lifted an eyebrow, “Dangerous? How so?”

Sonic’s hands were shaking, _I don’t know._

He was going to have to stay here, possibly for months at a time.

Tails wrapped a careful arm around him, “Hey, it’ll be okay. You’ve got us.”

Sonic tried to breathe. Tails made it easier.

“You’ll be okay.” Tails gave a firm pat to Sonic’s shoulder, “Come on. Let’s go in together.”

_Together._ Sonic nodded, stepping in time with his friend.

_Of course. We’re still together._

***

Sonic lay awake that night, no closer to sleep than he had been several hours ago. Eggman had given them a short tour. The facility wasn’t as big as the others he had, but Sonic had realized, terrifyingly, that he knew the entire floor plan as if he’d lived here his whole life, even though he knew for sure that he had never been here before. He felt his body over and over, almost as if he was expecting to find scars he had no memory of obtaining, but all his scars had a story behind them, and all of them were stories he remembered. For example, he had a small discolored line on his cheek from where Metal had grazed it during a fight. That memory was painful, so he couldn’t forget it even if he wanted to.

Why was he looking for scars anyway? He rolled over on the top bunk, where the sunlight didn’t reach him. Did he think that maybe his bad memories were of torture? But that didn’t make sense. The only scars he’d had for ages were easily caused by his daredevil tricks. It was the reason Chuck would hide his skateboard from him for days at a time, as young Sonic would continue to ride on a broken bone if given the chance.

A brief smile clouded his despair at his childish antics, but only for a moment.

If he wasn’t afraid of this place because of some repressed torture memories, then why did the entire building give him such a sense of danger?

He decided he didn’t want to stay like this, so he carefully climbed down from the bed, where Amy was sleeping on the bottom bunk. The blanket went up to her shoulders, where the short sleeves of her soft sports jersey were visible. As she slept, her quills were straightening out from where she’d combed them down, and it reminded Sonic of the tiny girl he’d met in his birthplace so many years ago. She had also seemed familiar for seemingly no reason, but as he’d later found out, he had actually met Amy for real several years earlier before she disappeared without a trace. He’d simply forgotten due to the passage of time.

He stared at her for a few moments, then he left the room.

He knew that the room at the end of this hallway was a surveillance room, and when he pushed the door open, the only thing that seemed out of place was the single mug of cold coffee that sat abandoned at its control panel. Why was that important? Why did it strike him as such an odd detail?

Sonic turned on the computer. His arms seemed to move on their own as he did a security check and linked his own cell phone to the encryption on Eggman’s computer. He had to pause and snap out of his trance when he realized he didn’t have the right number memorized, so he had to remember who he was calling and then search his contacts for the name. He found it, then he placed the phone to his ear, waiting. There was a ring, then another, then a third.

_“Sonic?”_

Sonic nearly collapsed in relief, “Mom.”

Aleena’s voice was sleepy over the phone, but it carried a bit of urgency as well, _“Sonic, why are you calling so late?”_

“Um...” Sonic ran a finger over a scar on his arm, also from Metal, “It’s not that late, right? I actually have no idea what time zone I’m in.”

_“Oh. Well...”_ Aleena paused, seemingly thinking about something, _“Do you need anything?”_

“I’m sorry.” Sonic kicked at the ground, where his shoes felt out of place in the familiar surroundings, “I didn’t mean to wake you up or anything, I just needed to talk to someone.”

_“Of course. Anything specific you wanted to tell me?”_

Sonic let his gaze drift out the window. The sun hadn’t completely set, but then again it was unlikely to for the whole night since they were so close to one of the poles. It put his mind at ease, at least a little bit.

“Not really. I just wanted to ask if you’ve ever found something familiar for no reason. Like, so familiar that it’s driving you crazy. Then I want to try forgetting about it. Since. You know. It’s driving me crazy.”

Aleena laughed, _“That sounds like something Bernie would say.”_

Sonic smiled. His other mom, Bernadette.

_“To answer your question though...I really can’t say. I have found things oddly familiar before, but I’m guessing that’s not what you’re talking about.”_

“Yeah?” Sonic fell into the desk chair, “Hhhhhhh...that’s what I thought. Thanks anyway.”

_“No problem, sweetheart. Now, you wanted to forget about it?”_

Sonic huffed out a short laugh, “That would be nice. So, how have you been, Mom?”

***

“Hey.”

Sonic’s ear flicked, but he didn’t wake up.

“Hey, hedgehog!”

Sonic groaned and tried to roll over, but his back cracked instead. He didn’t want to wake up, he was having a nice dream.

“SONIC WAKE UP!”

“WHAT!?”

Sonic fell out of the desk chair, landing on the back of his head on the ground. His cell phone flew out of his hands, but thanks to Tails’ expertise, it didn’t crack.

“What are you doing in my chair so early in the morning?”

Sonic blearily looked up at his arch nemesis, who was tapping his foot in anger.

“What’re you talkin’ ‘bout?” Sonic sat up, rubbing his eyes.

Eggman rolled his eyes as they nestled behind his glasses, “Why are you in my chair at such an ungodly hour?”

The memories came back immediately, and suddenly, this scene of Eggman standing over him after he’d just woken up was just as dangerously familiar as every other part of the facility. In the next second though, the feeling was gone, and Sonic stood up to find that Eggman himself was once again the same kind of familiarity as he’d always been. He even stood out from the rest of the dangerous facility.

Sonic’s patience was wearing thin, “Okay Robotnik, what’s going on?”

Eggman had genuinely not expected that kind of question, and he had especially not expected Sonic to call him by his real name after so many years of calling him the absurd nickname. All that escaped him was a simple, “What?”

“Cut the act already!” Sonic pointed at him, “Why is this place so familiar to me!? And why does it feel so dangerous!? I know you must be causing this, so don’t even try to hide it!”

Eggman stumbled over his words. He was confused, then shocked, then confused again. It wasn’t how Sonic knew he would react to such an accusation, but it also seemed like he knew the answer _somehow,_ but still hadn’t put the pieces together in a meaningful way.

Sonic wasn’t interested in the mind games, “Fine. Don’t tell me. Just know that I’m going to stop you, like I always do!”

And then he left the room, more frustrated than he was since Tails’ rescue from the snake.

***


	28. Chapter 28

**July - Year 2**

It didn’t matter how gracious Eggman was trying to be, Sonic was unable to pay attention to his rambling. The mad doctor had secret surveillance all over the world, so even though the entire team was locked away in a distant tundra, they still knew what was happening in the outside world, so at least no one was feeling particularly isolated.

Luckily for them, Lyric was still keeping up the facade for most people that he was dead. He still had small armies that attacked every now and then, but they could be controlled by local heroes like Mighty and Ray. Sonic smiled at the thought of their teamwork. Suddenly though, the radio Eggman had on for updates switched to a new topic.

_“The robots from the leading company Meteotech are no longer responding to commands and are running amok all over the world. Furthermore, the company’s CEO, Doctor Ivo Robotnik, has gone missing following news of the possible return of Lyric.”_

Sonic had heard of the company of Meteotech. They manufactured a lot of high-end tech like cell phones, factory robots, and extreme gear, in addition to funding projects for new breakthroughs in science and technology. It was one of the biggest and most successful tech companies in history.

“Eggman, you own Meteotech!?” Sonic stood up at the table, “How!?”

Eggman sighed at the end of the table, “Honestly, Hedgehog...did you think I just sat at home all day scheming on how to destroy you?”

“Um...” Sonic shrugged, “Yes?”

_That’s literally how you spend all your free time._ Metal said.

“I did not ask for your input on this, Sonic!” Eggman turned the volume down on the radio while Metal held back a robotic laugh, “Where do you think I get the funding for all the materials I use to build my robots? The best part is that everything I do in my company is perfectly legal! So nobody has the right to stop me!”

Sonic practically fell back into his chair, “You’re impossible, you know that?”

Eggman was about to spit back at him, but instead, his face grew pale, “Wait.”

He adjusted the volume on the radio, and a new story began.

_“-ark Gaia’s power continues to gather as it leaves the Earth, but where is it going? And what does it have to do with the missing persons?”_

Sonic clenched his teeth. Somewhere behind him, he knew Chip had just left the room. This was confirmed when the door closed, blocking the sounds of the hallway from reaching the group. Sonic left his chair, swiping a hand over his forehead, “I’ll be back.”

Luckily, as Sonic stayed in the base for longer amounts of time, it stopped being so familiar to him, and it became just another Eggman base aside from its size and overall feel. Maybe this was an early fortress when Eggman used to build differently than he did today. It was just like him to expect the apocalypse and prepare for it before he even started his plans for world domination.

It didn’t take long to find Chip, huddled in the back of his bundle beneath Tails’ and Knuckles’ bunk bed. Sonic crawled on his stomach to reach the tiny creature.

After resting his head in his arms, Sonic took a deep breath, “So what are you going to do?”

Chip turned his back to him, “I have no idea. What can I do anyway? If I try to take control of the rest of me, I’ll just fall to madness again, but if I don’t do anything...”

Sonic watched him bundle deeper into his blankets, “I know it must be hard. I can’t even imagine what it’s like to be at war with yourself. But...it’s all you. It’s something you have control over. I...”

Sonic had no idea what he was talking about, but watching Chip suffer like this was terrible. He knew Gaia. He trusted nature more than anything. Gaia was his close friend for so much longer than any of his other friends, and he wanted to help him more than anything.

“Sonic, that’s enough.”

Sonic’s mouth snapped shut.

“You’re true to yourself.” Chip sat up, small enough that his ears didn’t even touch the bed above him, “It’s something I’ve always admired about you. Even with a piece of me inside you, turning you into a monster, you don’t lose yourself, unlike others who are possessed by me. Heck, you’ve even learned to _love_ your monster form, and it’s not even a part of you!”

It was true. All of Sonic’s recent transformations were easy and painless. He’d even figured out how to call on its power during the day, and how to ward it off at night. It gave him at least a few minutes in his other form during either the day or the night, and Sonic was impressed with himself to say the least.

“Do you wanna know why I believe in myself?”

Chip had some ideas of what that answer would be, but all he said was, “Why?”

Sonic gave him the warmest smile he could imagine, “Because who else will?”

“What!?” Chip stared at him, wondering if it was a joke.

“I will sometimes be in situations where the only one I can count on is myself.” Sonic kicked his legs out behind him as he explained, “If I can’t even count on myself when I need help, then who am I supposed to turn to?”

Chip’s features softened, “But who wouldn’t believe in you? You’re amazing!”

Sonic winked, “Exactly.”

Chip let his gaze fall, closing his eyes and leaning forward on his arms until he was lost in thought. He was thinking for so long that Sonic wondered if he’d fallen asleep, but Chip’s brow was creasing overtime. Finally, his eyes opened, and the slightest glow bled into his irises, turning them from amber brown to pink.

“I never thought of it that way.”

Sonic held out his hand, and Chip gratefully took it, letting him pull him out from under the bed, “It’s easy to get stuck in self-destructive loops. It’s okay, though. It’s not too late to make things right.”

“I know.” Chip looked at Sonic’s hand, still wrapped around his entire arm, “I feel it, you know.”

“Hm?”

“The power.” he explained, “Your monster form. I feel it every time you go through a transformation.”

“Oh yeah. You gave me this power, huh?” Sonic got to his feet, taking care not to hit his head on the metal bed frame.

“I don’t understand.” Chip hovered close in front of Sonic’s face, “It’s such a bad feeling. How can you stand having it inside you?”

Sonic thought back, remembering how he gained power over the transformation in the first place, “You mean...you don’t know how to work with your own power?”

Chip hit his forehead with one fist, “No. Why would I want to work with something that only hurts when I try to use it?”

Sonic chuckled as he led his friend out of the room, “Well...maybe you just aren’t using it right.”

The hallway was filled with sudden noise, and Sonic dashed down the hall to hurry into the room where all his allies had gathered. Everyone was still and quiet...

Except for Eggman, who was screaming at the top of his lungs.

“MY ENTIRE SPACE FLEET IS DESTROYED! DO YOU EVEN UNDERSTAND THAT!? GAIA IS GETTING OUT OF CONTROL! IT’S ALL THAT CONNIVING SNAKE’S FAULT!”

Sonic was frozen in place. Chip, seeming to have regained his courage, chimed in immediately, while Sonic simply watched.

“You’re the one who woke me up in the first place, you cur! I know you’ve heard the stories, I can’t even control myself! What makes you think you could control me!?”

“Because I’m an evil genius!” Eggman slammed both hands on the table, “If Lyric hadn’t ruined my plans, your power would be mine! But nooo, he had to go after Tails instead! TAILS!”

Tails flinched as Chip’s bravery faltered, and Sonic automatically reached out to place his hand on Tails’ shaking arm.

“What do you mean he went after Tails?” Sonic stepped in as Chip was about to shout again, “What was _your_ plan?”

Eggman lost his rage for the moment, but he still sat down with clear annoyance.

“It was a perfect plan.” Eggman explained, “If I could take advantage of Gaia’s fragmented nature and collect his power for myself, taking over the world would be much easier, but I didn’t count on Lyric coming back from the dead and trying to regain control of my bases. I tried to keep him out as long as I could, but as soon as I heard about Tails’ kidnapping, I decided I needed to start figuring out how to take him down. I tried to take control of the Gaia power, but as it turns out, none of my measures actually worked. I was forced to flee until I was finally captured by the snake.”

The information bounced around in Sonic’s head. Elise tapped her heels as she leaned back in the corner of the room, Knuckles had his head resting in his arms as his fists shook with his unrest, Amy Silver and Blaze were sharing looks of unease. As for Sonic and Tails, they were simply still as Chip drifted downward. His feet touched the ground, his wings relaxed, and their gentle sound stopped.

Sonic tried to breathe in the suddenly-constricted space, realizing that he would once again have to be the mediator if he didn’t want this to get out of hand.

“Eggman.” Sonic waited until Eggman’s head looked up at him, “I want you to do more research on where Gaia’s power is going, and what Lyric is planning. The rest of us are leaving.”

_Leaving!?_ Metal blocked his way to the door, _Have you lost your mind!? You could be captured by the snake!_

“I know, but...” Sonic tried to step around the robot, but he continued to stand in his way, “You can’t just keep me here. I’m tired of staying put, Lyric could easily just destroy people, and I won’t be there to stop him.”

_Your heroic delusions will get you killed, hedgehog!_

“I DON’T CARE!”

The declaration echoed off the walls, raising goosebumps on Sonic’s arms, but he didn’t waver. He didn’t regret what he said, and he never would.

“I don’t care.” he said again, pushing the stunned robot out of the way, “I know my life is in danger when I go out and save people, but their lives are in danger too. If I don’t do anything when evil strikes, then everyone could die! That’s not better!”

_Even still. Your reckless pursuit of evil directly contradicts any desire for self-preservation. Need I remind you what nearly happened both times you utilized the emeralds to their full capacity?_

Sonic swallowed. He knew perfectly well. The first time, the rest of his friends managed to take down Chaos alongside him, but if they had been a second later in their plans, he felt he may have fallen unconscious or even lost his life. The second time, he was sharing the emerald’s power with Tails, so on top of fighting Lyric, he was intentionally taking more power for himself to make sure Tails wouldn’t suffer the consequences of too much Chaos, and thus he ended up actually falling unconscious while Tails came out perfectly fine. Looking back, Tails probably would’ve been fine either way, but it was something he wasn’t willing to risk in any case.

Sonic turned towards the fox in question, who had already stood from his chair and was staring at him in concern. He closed his eyes before facing his metallic doppelganger once again.

“I know, but I’ll be fine.” Sonic pushed passed Metal to grab the doorknob, “Who else is coming with me?” everyone followed him to the door, aside from Eggman, Metal, and one other, “Elise?”

“I’d better stay.” she smiled humorously, “You wouldn’t want to get arrested for harboring a princess.”

“Oh yeah. I forgot I technically kidnapped you.” Sonic gathered his friends to leave, “Just let me know if Egghead gives you a hard time.”

“Oh, I think I’ll be fine.” Elise waved as they left, “Return safe, okay?”

“We will.” Sonic matched her wave with finger guns.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be back soon.”

***


	29. Chapter 29

**July - Year 2**

“So...” Tails looked out the window in the hallway, where glaciers were floating in the ocean outside, “How do you plan on leaving?”

Sonic bounced on his heels, “That’s easy. It involves my connection with a certain watery demigod.”

“No way!” Knuckles ran to the front of the group, “But that’s impossible! The emeralds have no power, and they’re completely scattered!”

“I know, but remember, the Master Emerald stayed the same, and all eight emeralds are connected to each other.” Sonic held up his hand, “I know, the emeralds are still drained, so they’re ultimately useless even if we have them, but luckily, the ancients had a backup plan this time.”

Blaze’s eyes widened, “Wait, you don’t mean...”

Sonic brandished the purple Sol Emerald, “Yup. Packed with power, too. I bet it could easily take all of us where we need to go.”

“Can I see it?” Blaze held out her hand until Sonic gave it to her, and she kept her poise as she examined its glowing surface.

“It’s an emerald, but...” Silver stooped to look at the emerald from another angle, still in Blaze’s hands, “It’s different.”

“Yeah.” Sonic gently took it back, “It’s a Sol Emerald. Ember is their guardian, but I don’t know much more than that. I know they can Chaos Control, though.”

Blaze shook her head, standing up straight as her hand found her chin, _“That has no relation to Chaos.”_

She said it so quietly and resolutely that it made Sonic stare, “What?”

“Nothing.” Blaze lost all traces of wistfulness as she let her arms fall, “Where are we going?”

Sonic decided not to dwell on the brief lapse, instead holding out the gem with his palm facing up, “Everyone grab the emerald. We’re going back to Station Square.”

“Why?” Amy was the first to reach for the gem, followed by Tails, Knuckles, Silver, Blaze, and Chip.

“Because we left someone behind in our haste.” Sonic focused on his destination, silently praying that all of his friends would travel with him, “Chaos Control!”

The metal walls of the bunker gave way to the smell of pine needles in the forest. It was the last place they’d all been together as the Seven Chaos Wielders, so Sonic figured it was a good place to start looking for him, even though the chances he would have stayed put were pretty much non-existent.

“Shadow.” Silver ran ahead, “We’d better not waste any more time. Let’s go.”

All seven of them searched among the dense underbrush and towering trees, but aside from some broken branches and tiny bits of black fur stuck to sharp sticks, there was no indication that the hedgehog had even been here at all. There were no tracks that led out of the woods, and Sonic knew there would be tracks if Shadow had left normally, because he always ran on his hovering skates, which singed everything below them with heat.

“This isn’t right.” Knuckles climbed into the higher branches of a taller tree, “If he didn’t leave tracks, then he must have used Chaos Control. You don’t think he has his own Sol Emerald?”

“I honestly have no idea, Knuckles.” Sonic landed in the underbrush, taking care where he stepped, “I don’t think he would have one, though. Annie wouldn’t give it to him if he was being controlled, so if he has one, it means it was stolen.”

“Stolen from where?” Tails was in the air, his tails making soft sounds along with the typing on his device, “They don’t have their own temples, and they aren’t even mentioned in any ancient texts.”

Sonic motioned for his friend to land beside him, and the others followed suit, “Annie implied that they were a new addition, so as far as we know, this emerald in our possession is the only one that mortals have ever seen.” he scratched his head, “Well, er, mortals _and Shadow.”_

Silver stepped in front of Blaze as she stared off into space, “But if Shadow didn’t run, and he didn’t use an emerald, then how did he leave?”

Sonic was about to say something, but suddenly, an uncontrollable shiver wracked his whole body, and he wrapped his arms around himself to ward off the chill, “What the-?”

“Sonic, are you okay?” Tails placed an arm on his.

Sonic’s gaze travelled up into the sky, where the moon had just risen in the noonday sky. It wasn’t enough for him to turn obviously, the sun was still there, but the moon glowed ominously. He felt the tug on his werehog form, and realized what this might mean.

“Chip.” his eyes became sore as he didn’t blink, but he couldn’t tear his gaze away, “Do you feel that?”

Chip hovered into the air, his expression hidden from view as he stared into the moon’s light.

“Wait.” Amy stepped closer to Sonic, “You don’t mean that Shadow...?”

With every beat of Sonic’s heart, he could feel Gaia’s power pushing against his blood vessels. Chip was locked in his own internal conflict between his conscience and his own painful memories. Although it likely wouldn’t have lasted long, Sonic decided to say something anyway for the sake of his own sanity.

“It’s not just for everyone else, Chip.” his breath shook with his shivers, “It’s for you too. Don’t live in fragmented pieces just because you’re afraid of conflict. It’s going to happen no matter what, and trying to run away from it won’t make it any easier. Remember what I said; Be true to yourself, and don’t let others cloud your judgement.”

Chip sighed as he finally turned towards them. His eyes carried fear, but also resolve and defiance. Power shone behind his eyes, bathing him in a warm light that resonated with the sunlight that shone at them through the trees.

“I honestly have no idea how to do that.” Chip blinked as a single tear finally ran down his cold cheek, “I’ve been trying to figure this out for centuries, and every compromise I tried to make just made everything more painful for me.” he looked into his hands as particles of light shone on his fingertips, “But you guys are living proof that internal conflicts can be resolved peacefully. I can’t even _describe_ how much it hurts to be whole, and the idea of going back to that is eating me alive, but...”

His hands turned into fists, and power surrounded him until the orb at his neck shone with light.

“I want to try.”

Sonic gave him a smile and a thumbs-up, “You can do it this time. I believe in you, okay?”

Chip matched his smile, “Thank you. That means the world to me.”

Sonic held his smile a moment longer before his gaze dropped to the ground, “We'd better get back to Eggman. He'll probably have a way for us to get up there.”

He gathered his friends around him to teleport them back. He had no idea where Eggman's base was, but as long as he had a clear idea of where he wanted to go, he knew it wouldn't matter as long as it wasn't too far away. His Chaos Control brought them slightly off in the hallway from where he'd intended to bring them, but it was ultimately not too draining.

Eggman already had a plan for them, so Sonic did his absolute best to listen.

He couldn't mess this up. They would only get one shot.

***

"One, two, three..." Sonic counted each of his steps, "One, two, three, one, two, three..."

He had never been to Eclipse' temple before. Previously, they had just gotten Annie to take the black emerald there, since at the time she'd had enough strength to do so. The Sol Emerald was with him too, and he was using it to track the temple down. It was late at night, with the moon high above him. He tried not to let it distract him.

"One, two, three, one, two-!" his toe hit a slab of stone and he stumbled, "Three?"

He had nearly missed it among the underbrush, but the temple was covered in vines, even more so than any other temple. It was lit by nothing but moonlight and fireflies, which twinkled around the open doorway.

Sonic entered, feeling a chill run up his spine.

The walls told more of the same story as the other temples, but it was tweaked slightly. Eclipse was apparently very elusive, but he cared about the other ancients like his own family, and he always chipped in to help them. The reason he ran away was to form his own world, and...

Sonic felt an inexplicable fear wash over him.

_And bathe the planet in a black substance that sucked all life from the earth._

Sonic shivered as he placed the black emerald on its pedestal. The emeralds this time around didn't need to sit around for months waiting to be charged due to Gaia's release, so Sonic prepared to bolt with it the second it was ready.

**"You're not leaving with that."**

Sonic was frozen in place. The temperature dropped, and a black hedgehog appeared, sporting a flowing cloak and a decorative mask with no eye holes. He had no red stripes on his body, instead showing off the bright rubies in his cloak and embedded in his mask.

He gave off an air of cool calmness, but Sonic wasn't fooled.

**"Who do you think that emerald belongs to?"** Eclipse himself reached out, each of his leather gloves tipped in a metal claw, **"These were never intended for mortal use."**

His voice...it didn't really sound like Shadow's voice, but the resemblance was there. If anything, it was simply darker. Colder.

**"Your desire to save people is misplaced, I'm afraid."** he continued, **"Leave now."**

Sonic struggled against the strange force keeping him in place, "Lemme go! Just who do you think you are!?"

**"I would advise against questioning me. After all, there's a reason my limbs call me Black Doom."**

"I'm not afraid of you, you creep! You don't deserve that emerald!" Sonic tried to stretch his arms out, but that was blocked too, "And don't call them your limbs! That's annoying!"

The black emerald rose into the air. It had finished charging, and the broken piece of the planet fell back into place.

**"Come to me, my darling..."** Eclipse plucked the emerald from the air, **"We have much to do, now that we have our-!"**

A sharp blade cut through the air, and Eclipse disappeared. The emerald made a clinking sound as it hit the ground, and the torches along the walls lit up, simultaneously releasing Sonic from whatever had been holding him.

The blade was attached to a blue arm. The figure stood up straight, glaring Sonic in the eye before he vanished.

Sonic was still stuck on the spot, trying to figure out what had just happened.

"Sonar?" Sonic picked up the emerald, warily watching the doorways for any sign of movement.

"Just what the heck is going on?"

***


	30. Chapter 30

**November - Year 2**

Sonic gripped his armrests tightly as the ship ascended higher and higher into the atmosphere of the repaired planet. Thanks to his abilities with the Sol Emerald, every Chaos Emerald had been collected and dropped at their temple. They'd already done it the first time, so it wasn't so bad this time, but _unlike_ the last time, the broken nature of the planet and Annie's use of the other Sol Emeralds allowed each emerald to be fully restored. Chip also went from place to place sweeping up the fragments of his power that had broken off from the planet, and though Elise wasn't with them, Eggman had instructed Orbot and Cubot to guard her with their lives.

Sonic hoped it wouldn't come to that.

_It appears that Dark Gaia has fully recovered._ Metal was in the front seat, beside Eggman, who acted as the pilot.

Chip shook his head, in the seat next to Knuckles, “No, not fully. He's still missing one piece.”

The ship passed into the sun's shadow, and Sonic felt that familiar coolness take over. This time though, it was far more foreboding than it had ever been.

Sonic crossed his arms so they didn't take up as much space, as he was in his monster form, “Chip, what'll he do once he has himself together?”

Chip was comically small in the normal-sized chair, “I don't know for sure. That's the side of me that I've always truly hated, but without me, it doesn't have a full consciousness, so predicting it might be a bit tricky.”

Sonic craned his neck to look at the tiny creature, “So...your entire consciousness is in here with us?”

“Well, kind of. All of this is mostly me, but the biggest piece I wanted to break off was the destructive side if my power, thus, a piece of my mind had to go too since it-!”

He cut himself off, facing the other direction with his ears down.

Sonic took a guess, “You have a wish for destruction?”

“Not a wish!” Chip snapped back in horror, “It's more like a compulsive tendency, but it's a part of my mind, and I hate it because I don't really want to hurt anyone!”

Sonic glanced at Tails, who was seated at his other side, “So letting it roam free was the better option?”

“I know, it was a bad idea.” Chip shifted in the chair so he faced the far window, “I didn't want to accept how bad of an idea it was at the time, but it was selfish and stupid. I can see that now that my pain isn't blinding me.”

Sonic shrugged as the moon steadily approached outside, “Hey, you gave some of that to me on accident, and it's not so bad. I never have the urge to hurt people, I just get excited about wrecking stuff in general. I mean, I guess I am anyway, but this form really has an appetite for destruction. That doesn't have to be a bad thing, Chip. You can control it, I'm sure. Just like me.”

Chip let out a short laugh, “I'll keep that in mind.”

As the moon got closer, the tug Sonic felt got stronger. He was sure Chip could feel it too, but the small deity kept his look of impassiveness.

Eggman stroked his mustache, “We'd better hurry. This thing's power is-!”

He was cut off by a beeping sound on the console, which flashed with warning signals.

“WATCH OUT!”

Sonic threw his arm at the steering wheel, but it was too late. A giant purple mass of energy collided with the ship and broke it in half, spilling its contents into the open viel of space. Sonic fell towards the moon rapidly, and he reached out his arms to try and reign his friends. He didn’t succeed.

“SONIC!”

Chip reached out to him, but the worst searing pain had entered Sonic, and it clouded his mind with delirium.

His nails cracked and split as they returned to their normal size, his muscles contorted as they snapped and wove back together, his quills punctured his skull in their hurry to shrink back inside him, and his teeth broke his jaw as they went from razor-sharp and too big to their ordinary size. He fought his desire to succumb to unconsciousness, instead he bit his knuckle hard enough to draw blood. He didn't even know if he had screamed, or if the sound his sore vocal cords made was simply his imagination.

“Sonic!”

The voice was Knuckles’. It occurred to Sonic that he was no longer falling. All of them had landed on the surface of the moon, where Dark Gaia towered over them.

Sonic lifted his head, fighting through the pain and resisting the urge to scream, “We have to go. We can't die here.”

Tails held him close as his heart pounded in his chest, “We will make it. I promise.”

Chip stood protectively between the looming monster and the stunned allies.

“Chip, you can't wait!” Silver had a silvery dome over their heads, “Return to your other half. Make this right.”

Chip hesitated on his millennia of collected trauma.

“It will still be you!” Amy had her hammer out, but struggled to hold it still, “You can fix this! Don't be a slave to your fear!”

Chip created a light shield between Dark Gaia and the team. Sonic frowned sadly. Chip's face was streaming with tears.

“You can do it.” Sonic coughed, though the action hurt, “Please.”

Chip made no move to dispel his tears as they continued to fall. Sonic didn't need that fragment of his friend that was so viciously torn from him to know that Chip didn't believe he could do this. He was terrified out of his skin, and it showed.

“Sonic. Everyone.” Chip’s voice was calm though his body language conveyed the opposite, “If...if I don't make it, I want you to remember me. Not as Gaia, but as Chip. Learning about the earth I protect is the most wonderful experience I've ever had. I had no idea that food was so good, that cultures were so exquisite, and that people were so nice. I'd give any piece of myself to remember that forever.”

“You _will_ remember, Chip.” Sonic was weak, but he pushed himself onto his knees with Tails’ arms still around him, “You'll make it through this. Even if you can't believe in yourself at first, just remember that there are generations of mortals that love you.” he smiled, “Including us.”

“I know, thank you.” Chip began to glow brighter, resonating from the gem that lay on his neck, “Goodbye.”

The small creature turned into a stream of light that swirled into the air to disappear inside Dark Gaia. The monster let out a roar before the glow broke through and began to reshape him. Silver kept his dome up just in case, but the monster was quieting, melting into the light and transforming into something new.

When all they could hear was the quiet of deep space, Silver dropped his defense so the team could look up.

“Did...” Knuckles hardly dared to breathe, “Did it work?”

As the streaks of light disappeared, Dark Gaia emerged, stronger than ever, lashing out at everything near him almost as if he were in a wild panic. Sonic covered his ears, the noise drowning out the few bits of light that still floated among the darkness. They refused to mix, like oil and water.

Sonic steeled his nerves. Some of the light made it back to them. _I'm sorry I hurt you._ It said. _I'm so sorry._

Sonic stood up tall as the light eased his discomfort, “It's not working! We need to help him!”

“How!?” Blaze blotted out the darkness that came near with her fire, “It's dense with power! How can we help him without destroying it!?”

Sonic let the Chaos Emeralds float around him, circling his friends. The glow helped to further push back the darkness, even as it swallowed them up and blocked their view of the earth.

“Maybe if we weaken him, it'll be easier for him to stop fighting so fiercely.” Sonic already felt the tips of his quills lifting into the air, “Dark Gaia doesn't know who we are, not the way Chip does, but they _are_ the same person.”

“So if we could reason with Chip, maybe we can reason with Dark!” Silver reached into the ring of light to borrow some of the Chaos Energy, “Let's go!"

"I'm in this too!" Said Knuckles.

"And me!" Amy.

Everyone added a hand to the circle, and the glow swirled around them, blocking the darkness from reaching them.

However, just as they were about to transform, the light violently exploded away from them.

_"AAAAHHHHH!!!"_ Sonic fell onto his stomach, knocking the wind out of himself.

"SONIC!" Tails dropped to his knees beside him. Dark Gaia swung at them, but Silver and Blaze deflected it.

_"I can't..."_ Sonic tried to stand up, but he was so weak, and every cell in his body was sending stabbing pain through his whole being. He was shaking, his vision blurring, though he could see that his gloves were in tatters, his skin red and inflamed, _"I can't...I'm sorry, I can't..."_

He couldn't believe himself. Dark Gaia stealing back that piece of himself had taken all his energy. He kept trying to force his muscles to move, not wanting to abandon his friends to an uncertain battle, but every attempt just made him shake more, and the pain was filling his vision with static.

"Sonic..." Tails put one hand on Sonic's head, between his ears, while the other went to his arm, "You don't have to do this. You aren't obligated to do everything for us."

"Yeah!" Silver strained against the repeated attacks, "You told me that if I couldn't fight, you guys would take over for me. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't extend the same courtesy to you?"

A single tear escaped from Sonic's eye, "But I..."

He was silenced by the steady shake of Tails' head, "Don't say anything."

Tails lifted his hand, and the emeralds came back up to swirl around them. Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Silver, and Blaze absorbed the power until the golden glow came over them again. Sonic was gently lifted into the air, and his crippling pain began to ease.

"You've done plenty enough already." Tails smiled at him, "Now let us be there for you."

The light exploded outward, and the five golden figures emerged to cut through Gaia's dark power. Sonic was carried along, floating in the air to keep him out of harm's way.

A streak of light left Dark Gaia, colliding with the heroes and making their glow even brighter.

_Now or never._ Chip was among them, his disembodied voice echoing in their heads.

_Let's go._

Light clashed with darkness as all the heroes collided with Dark Gaia like a meteorite. Tails threw his fist at the smoke, and a beam of light pierced through, creating a tunnel. Before it had a chance to close, Silver used his heightened powers to lift a giant moon rock and threw it into the monster. Dark Gaia screamed as he flailed wildly, which Amy took as an opportunity to weave between the flying limbs until she could get a good strike with her hammer.

"That's it!" Blaze created a fireball above her head the size of a skyscraper, "It's in the center! Get ready, Chip!"

Sonic trailed close behind Tails, who gave a thumbs-up to Knuckles. The two flew towards each other, then Tails reached out to grab Knuckles' arms. He spun around and around until they were spinning like a top, then Tails let go, sending Knuckles shooting towards the darkness. He cried out, throwing a punch into the smoke. It created a big enough opening that Blaze was able to throw her fireball directly into the gaping maw of the beast.

Sonic gasped, "Careful! That's part of Chip too, you know!"

"I got it!" Blaze high-fived Silver as he passed by.

He in turn called behind him, "This way!"

The streak of light collected behind the mass of Chaos power. Tails took Knuckles' hand, and he in turn took Amy's hand, who took Silver's hand, who took Blaze's hand. Blaze then looped back around to take Tails' other hand, making them form a ring. Sonic was still floating off to the side, far enough to not obstruct the attack, but not so far that he was in danger.

"Are you guys ready!?" Tails brought everyone together so there was less of a gap between them, _"Here...we..."_

He drew the last of the power from the emeralds, watching for Dark Gaia as he struggled to prepare any kind of attack.

"GO!"

The super-charge was strong enough that all of them together shot through Dark Gaia like he was made out of paper. Inside, once the heart was located, Tails directed them to open their arms until they formed a ring, pushing back the smoke that surrounded the beast and forming a clean hole through it.

Amy screamed, "CHIP!"

The light spirit quickly flew through the tunnel to mix with the heart. The reaction threw all of them back, and the weakened Dark Gaia slowly began to recede.

When the heroes hit the ground, the emeralds scattered too, leaving them drained and out of breath. Sonic landed hard on his back, and without the magic to dull his pain, he was rendered immobile, forcing himself to take slow breaths through lungs that screamed of pins and needles.

Tails, despite how tired he was, rolled onto his stomach and dragged himself across the ground until he was close enough to put his hand over Sonic's, who turned his head slightly to look at him.

Tails was panting, his eyelids heavy, but he managed to force out, _"Are you okay?"_

Sonic turned his wrist so he could hold Tails' hand, offering a ghost of a smile.

"That better have been enough." Knuckles pushed himself up onto his knees, one hand on his throbbing head, "We can't fight anymore. Not like this."

Silver got to his feet first, offering a hand to Blaze, "Come on, Chip. You can do this."

Amy set her hammer down, using it to push herself towards Sonic until she could hold his other hand. Silver stood over him, his arms at the ready in case anything else came at them. Blaze and Knuckles meanwhile stayed further back, watching Dark Gaia with wariness.

Sonic fought to stay awake. Every inhale shook him to the core. He couldn't speak, and he couldn't lift his hands to sign. He couldn't lose yet though. He had to see this through to the end.

The mass of power shrank back, until the glow and the smoke was gone, giving them a clear view of outer space. The earth swirled in the background. All was still and quiet.

Their ears were ringing when Knuckles said, _"Did it work?"_

"There you are!" Eggman had seemingly recovered from the attack, "What in the world was that!? Where did you go!? That thing almost killed me and you all are just sitting around like a bunch of slobs!?"

"Are you kidding me!?" Knuckles glowered at him, too drained to properly threaten him, "We just saved your hide, and you have the gall to insult us!?"

"Seriously, give it a rest, Egghead!" Silver kept one arm over Sonic as he stood up straight to confront the scientist, "We're sitting around because we just used a ton of Chaos energy! Surely you aren't dumb enough to ignore what that does to someone!?"

"That's still no excuse to sit around and do nothing!"

"Guys!" Blaze got between them, "Shut up and look!"

The glow had come back, but it wasn't a violent mix of black and white like it had been before. Instead, it was a gradient of different colors, like a kaleidoscope, and as it rose, strength slowly returned to the group.

Sonic stood up as he watched, his eyes widening when they fell on the magnificent creature amongst the settling smoke.

“Whoa!”

Gaia. He looked just as he had in the old stories; A magnificent gold and purple dragon-like creature that radiated both warm light and cold darkness. The beast lowered its head to look at the team, and they stared back at him, curious, and at ease.

_"Ugh..."_ a familiar figure approached them from the shadows, "Guys? What happened? I have such a headache..."

"Shadow!" Sonic ran to him, offering his arms as support, "Jeez, man! Don't scare me like that!"

"What?" Shadow looked over each one of them, noting their exhaustion and concern, "What's going on? Where am I?"

Sonic brought him into Gaia's light, "You're on the moon." He looked up at the towering ancient, and his expression softened, hopeful. He stepped forward on shaking legs, “Chip?”

The beast raised a claw to gently lift Sonic's chin. It smiled at him, its voice echoing through their heads and leaving them dumbfounded.

**“You're much shorter than I thought you were, Sonic.”**

Sonic let out the breath he'd been holding, “It's you! Chip! _Gaia!”_

Gaia dissipated until he stood before them in his smaller form, except instead of looking like a mere woodland creature, he was covered in glowing streaks of purple and gold. Light and dark, existing as one.

**"It's odd seeing my light and dark sides separated like this."** Chip watched his arms as the purple and gold stripes took turns glowing, **"Maybe it'll take more time to get used to it."**

"Wow." Sonic cleared his throat, gesturing to the strands of light that came off him, "So, Chip...how do you feel?"

Chip traced one of the particles that came off him like an ember off a fire, **"I feel...okay. I mean, I feel worse than I did before, but...I don't know. I haven't felt this harmonious since the day I was created."**

Sonic stepped aside for Knuckles, "If you felt okay back then, then what happened?"

Chip frowned, looking off towards the earth. He scratched his head, **"I don't know. I was new back then. I didn't know myself. That was back when the planet was nothing but seas of lava. Once mortals came into the picture, I realized I was accidentally killing them without realizing it."**

Chip's heart pulsed with dark power before turning back to gold.

**"Tornados and hurricanes...earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, lightning and wildfires...all of that was me. I couldn't stop it. All I could do was give a fair warning, but they didn't always listen to me. _I just felt so guilty..."_**

Sensing disaster, Sonic grabbed his arm, "Chip! That's not your fault!"

He looked up, and his irises shone with the same gold and purple colors.

"You can learn to control it, like I said, but also remember that you can't stop _all_ of that. If good weather exists, then bad weather does too. Fires are good sometimes anyway, and so are floods and thunderstorms, so why would you want to stop them so much that you blamed yourself for mortals getting hurt?"

Chip sighed, hanging his head.

**"I'm not sure."** he took his arm back, **"But I do know one thing; I don't want to go back to that. You helped me out of my insanity, Sonic. Thank you so much."**

"Hey, don't sweat it. It's what I do."

Eggman was finally too fed up to stay silent, “Yes that's all wonderful and good but did you forget that MY SHIP IS DESTROYED AND WE HAVE NO WAY OF GETTING HOME!”

**"Oh, I'd be happy to take you all home!"** Gaia surrounded all of them with his power, **"And uh...sorry about your ship. If there's anything I can do to make it up to all of you, then please let me know."**

"Will do." Sonic watched as all of them ascended, and the swirls of color created a sphere around them as they headed back towards earth. He smiled, twirling through the sphere like a fish through the water, surrounded by all his friends. He looked up at Chip, and his smile fell.

He looked at his hands. The coolness in his veins that was always there previously was now gone, so he knew his werehog form was no more. A few months ago, he would have given anything to get rid of that form, but now that he had gotten so used to it, its absence just made him feel empty.

Chip must have noticed, because he turned to face them as he piloted the sphere, **"Sonic. You miss your monster form, don't you?"**

Sonic traded an incredulous glance with Shadow, "Yeah. How did you know?"

Chip shrugged, **"Lucky guess. Gosh, I'm so sorry I took it from you so forcefully. If you want, I can give it back to you."**

"Really!?" Sonic beamed as he swam closer, "But don't you kinda need that?"

The sky lightened as Chip slowed down, setting them gently on the grass near Station Square, **"I don't need all of it. I have a lot of power, and it manifests itself in more ways than one. Besides, it might come in handy."**

Sonic bounced on his heels, _"Dude! I would love that!"_

Chip laughed at his enthusiasm, **"Alright. Hold still..."**

A tiny chunk of black power broke off the small ancient, wrapping around Sonic and concentrating around his heart. It engulfed him, until he came out as the werehog.

"Yeah!" Sonic threw his arms into the air, revelling in how they stretched off into the distance before coming right back to him, "Thank you, Chip! This is awesome!"

**"You're welcome!"** Chip yawned, his eyelids fluttering shut, **"Whenever you want to change back, just give me a prayer and I'll hear you. You are no longer bound by the sun and moon, as I am one with the earth again, as I should be."** his glow intensified as he sunk towards the ground, **"For now though, I need to go. You really did a number on me, and I haven't slept properly in a thousand years."**

"Of course." Sonic saluted him, "Sleep well, Chip."

**"Goodbye."**

And with that, he disappeared into the ground, creating a ring of light that expanded across the land and then the sea, until it was too far away to make out amongst the waves.

As soon as he was gone, all of them collapsed again, except for Eggman, who just rolled his eyes.

_"God..."_ Shadow coughed, his voice gruff, "What the hell did I miss!?"

***


	31. Chapter 31

**December - Year 2**

Sonic looked out over the living room in Eggman's industrial base, where his friends had gathered to watch a map over the city on a giant screen of Tails' creation. He had his feet propped up on the armrest of the couch, with thick pillows underneath his head and a soft quilt overtop of him. Ever since the attack, he had been unimaginably weak, so he was just biding his time until he could get his strength back.

"Here." Tails placed a damp cloth over Sonic's forehead, "This should help with that fever."

Sonic sniffed, _"Fantastic."_

"How did Sonic get sick, anyway?" Amy was sitting on the ground, with her back against the couch, "I thought he was just weakened."

"He was, but I think maybe he was weakened so much that his immune system was too, which made him prone to infection."

Sonic sighed, talking around his sore throat, "I really hope it's not a Chaos infection..."

Tails shook his head, "It probably isn't." he sat down beside Amy, "If it was, you would have worse symptoms. I think you'll be fine."

Sonic rolled onto his side to better face his team, forcing Tails to readjust the cloth on his head so it didn't fall.

"Tails, what's this?" Shadow pointed to the map, near Soleanna, "Is it the monster?"

Tails pinched the screen to zoom in, "I don't think so. It looks more like a random smear, but I can look closer. Have you still not been able to find it?"

Shadow shook his head, "I keep getting stolen by Black Doom, remember?"

Sonic remembered his encounter with Eclipse in the Gaia temple, "Shadow, do you think maybe it'll be easier to destroy Black Doom first?"

Shadow rested his elbows on the table, "Maybe, but I can't. I'm attached to him, almost literally. It would be like asking me to cut one of my own organs out. I just don't know if I can help you with that."

Sonic looked over at him, only to see that he was tracing the wood grain on the table with his finger.

"Shadow..." Sonic blinked away the reflex tears that had gathered in his eyes, "If we destroy Black Doom, will you die?"

All eyes went to him, then to Shadow.

Shadow pulled his hand into a shaking fist, "I have no idea. Surely his band of goons will perish without his input, but I have my own mind outside of him. I can fight his influence over me, while the others can't. That alone should give me an advantage, but..."

He stood up, heading for the doorway.

Silver was on the other couch, "Where are you going?"

Shadow paused in the hallway, "I just need to think about this. Don't worry, I won't go far."

Sonic wondered if Eggman's base reminded him too much of the Ark. Eggman had never met his late grandfather before, but he did take inspiration from him, and he paid tribute in many of his own bases.

He wasn't insensitive enough to ask, though. He was probably completely off-base anyway.

Tails tapped his chin as he thought, "It looks like the monster has gotten a lot less aggressive, huh? I wonder if it's safe to bring Elise back home."

"I'd give it a few more days." Silver twirled a few pencils around with his powers, "If it stays quiet, we bring her back home."

"It's too bad she's such a public figure, huh?" Tails zoomed out and gave his digital globe a spin, "At least the planet's healing nicely. If this keeps up, the ancients should be well on their way to regaining their power. Imagine how unstoppable we'll be with all the Wielders at full capacity!"

Sonic saw Elise pass by in the hallway, her light staff emanating a soft glow. Blaze entered from the doorway, sitting beside Silver, and the two became engrossed in their own conversation. Amy sent a text to Manik, supposedly catching up with the goings on back on Christmas Island, and Knuckles left the room to check on the Master Emerald. That left Sonic to doze off while Tails continued testing between his dad's pocket computer and the Miles Electric.

What Tails had previously said made him curious, though.

 _"Hey Tails,"_ Sonic coughed a few times to dispel mucus from his throat, "Tails, how come all of the emeralds have so much more power than five or six? Doesn't each emerald have the same amount of power?"

Tails set his devices aside, "Yeah, but as each emerald builds off each other, the power they hold together goes up exponentially."

Sonic lifted an eyebrow, "Huh?"

"Okay, think about it this way." Tails clicked a pen and opened a pad of paper between them, "A linear ascent is when each step is the same. For example, going up from zero, if you add one each step, then it goes one, two, three, four, five, and so on. However, an exponential ascent is closer to multiplication. For example, if we double the number each step, it goes one, two, four, eight, sixteen, and so on. Do you follow so far?"

Sonic rolled his eyes, "Yes, Tails. I went to elementary school, I know how numbers work."

"Good." Tails wrote down seven zeros in a row on the paper, "Okay, so let's say that each chaos emerald together represents a new digit. The first emerald is the unit's digit. How many numbers can you make with only one digit using our common base ten?"

Sonic thought about it for a second. Being sick made it harder to think, "Well, you just said. It's only ten, right? If you include zero. You're not counting negative numbers, right?"

"Nope."

"Then it can only go up to nine." Sonic took one of the couch's throw pillows to hold to his chest, "Any higher and you'd need the ten's digit to count it."

"Exactly." Tails underlined the first digit, "Nine is easy, right? You can count that on your fingers. Now let's add the ten's digit." he underlined both the right-most digits, "How high can you count with only two digits?"

"Ninety nine."

"And if you add the hundreds digit?"

"Nine hundred ninety nine."

"Perfect." Tails circles all seven zeroes, "Now consider this; By the seventh digit, you've reached one million. How much higher is one million than one hundred thousand?"

"Uhh..." Sonic exhaled impatiently, "A lot?"

"Sonic, seriously think about it." Tails smiled at him playfully, "To get to one hundred from ten, you have to count to ten nine more times. To get to one thousand after that, you have to count to ten nine hundred more times. Each step is ten times larger than the last. So...how many times do you have to count to ten to get from one hundred thousand to one million?"

Sonic squinted his eyes at the ceiling, then it clicked, and his jaw dropped.

"Oh my god!"

"And that's the Chaos Emeralds." Tails gave a mock bow from his seat on the floor, "Thank you everybody, I appreciate it."

"Imagine what we can do with all seven Wielders!"

"I know!" Tails set the paper and pen on the table, "I can imagine that kind of power is intense, though. We probably wouldn't last like that."

"Still. That sounds incredible." Sonic yawned into the back of his hand, "Well, BRB, little bro. I gotta sleep this sickness off."

"Sleep well."

Tails went back to his experiments, forgetting for the moment how far they still had to go.


	32. Chapter 32

**February - Year 3**

"It can't wait any longer. Soleanna needs their queen."

Sonic was afraid of that. Not that he was planning on keeping her forever or anything, but she was already almost nineteen, and she still hadn't been properly crowned yet. Sonic looked up at her blue-gray eyes, framed by short red hair.

Sonic gave her a warm smile as he extended his hand, "I understand. I'm gonna miss you, Elise."

"I'll miss you too." Elise took his hand, "If you're worried about the monster, don't be. Once I'm queen, I'll have a much better staff, so I can take care of myself, don't you worry!"

Elise hadn't been wearing makeup the whole time she was with them. Her natural lip color was the loveliest shade of pale pink, and without foundation, her face was covered in freckles. It made Sonic's heart melt. It really reminded him that despite her rank, she really was just a normal girl underneath.

"Okay. Let's take you back then." Sonic had his own blue emerald back, and it felt so much better in his hands than the powerful Sol Emerald, "Chaos Control!"

They appeared in the courtyard in front of the castle, where Sonic was immediately surrounded by angry guards. He lifted his hands in the air as a dozen spears were pointed at his throat, and he gulped nervously.

"Wait!" Elise jumped in front of him, "I know what it looks like, but this hero saved my life!"

The guards seemed skeptical, but they lowered their weapons regardless.

Elise turned back to face him, and her soft smile returned, "Thank you for everything, Sonic. The next time you see me, you'll be looking at Queen Elise of Soleanna!"

Sonic nodded, "Can't wait!"

She began her walk back to the castle, her guards giving wary looks over their shoulders, but somehow, Sonic felt he wasn't finished yet.

He called after her, "Hey Elise!?"

She turned around, "Yes?"

Sonic opened his mouth, trying to find the right words. He loved her, he was sure of that now. He didn't know if he wanted to start a relationship at all, because she would be busy as queen of such a large country, but he felt he should at least say something.

The silence stretched between them, and Sonic let his mouth close.

No. He had this all wrong, he realized. Yes, he may have felt an initial pull towards Elise, but he already had someone, and his bravery thus far was only pulling him in the wrong direction. Bothering her like this didn't seem right anymore.

He beamed as that large weight was lifted off his chest, "Actually, nevermind!" he saluted her, "You take care, okay?"

Elise waved, "You too!"

As Sonic jumped back to Eggman's base, he sent a quick text to Amy.

_Where are you? I need to tell you something._

***

He found her on the roof, bundled up in a thick pink coat and tall winter boots. He thought she must have been freezing cold in those thin black leggings, but she didn't seem bothered. Because it was only February, the horizon had been consistently bright for almost six months, as they were so near the south pole. At least Sonic had a clear idea of where they were now.

He lay down next to her, "Isn't it funny how different these stars are from the ones near Station Square?"

Amy huffed a short laugh, her breath fogging up in the cold air, "You can barely see them right now."

"I know, but still."

Amy sat up, "Well, what did you want to tell me?"

Sonic expected to be nervous, but aside from the butterflies in his stomach, he was actually feeling quite confident. He sat up to match her gaze, his hand brushing a stray quill from her face. She cocked her head to look at him, the sun creating shards of color off her jade-green irises.

He held her cheek in his hand, "I'm ready."

"You are!?" Amy covered her mouth, tears springing up in her eyes, "Are you sure!?"

"Yes, I'm sure!" he held his arms out to her, "Aw, don't cry!"

"But I'm so happy!" Amy tackled him, squeezing his ribcage like she was afraid he would run away, "I thought you didn't love me anymore!"

"Not even close!" Sonic held her head in the crook of his neck, swaying back and forth with the harsh Antarctic wind, "I just wasn't ready to commit, you know? I was scared. I didn't want to lead you on if it turned out we weren't right for each other. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you. I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out."

Amy laughed softly, "At least you did figure it out. I've been waiting on you for a long time, you know."

"Mm." Sonic sighed as he let his gaze drift upward.

"So..." Amy pulled back to look at him, "Does this make you my boyfriend?"

Sonic's face flushed red, "Uhh, yeah I guess."

Amy rested her head on his shoulder, "I missed you, you know. I can't believe this! I knew you'd come around!"

Sonic was elated. He rested his head on Amy's as she continued to chatter, feeling the kind of coziness you only get around a warm campfire with roasted marshmallows. Everywhere he held her, his skin seemed to warm up. He wasn't entirely sure, but this kind of comfort was intense, but it was so soft at the same time. He was both nervous and relaxed. Was this love?

Amy paused in her rambling, and the wind and crashing glaciers was all that could be heard. Her arms rested around his waist, while his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

His cheek brushed against her bangs, "Amy?"

"Yeah?"

He took a deep inhale, "What kind of shampoo do you use?"

"Oh." She bundled up closer to him, "Strawberry. Why?"

"Thought so. Just curious." he watched the clouds roll by above them, the sun just barely dipping below the horizon, "I always associate that smell with you. Now I know why."

She shook her head, "You idiot. We've been in a relationship for five seconds, and you're already commenting on my shampoo?"

He snorted, "Shut up! I can't help what I smell!"

She placed her hand in his, squeezing it in her iron grip, "What kind of shampoo do you use?"

"I don't use shampoo." Sonic scratched his ear with his pinky finger, "I use bar soap on my whole body."

"You can't do that!"

"Why not? It works!"

"Because it's not soft enough! Is that why your quills are so rigid!?"

"Hey!" Sonic fell onto his elbows, laughing as Amy tugged on his quills, "Cut that out! Stop it!"

"Make me!"

Sonic slid out from underneath her grip, running away until he reached the edge of the roof. He dodged her as she tried to tackle him, and he ran along the edge of the roof as she joined in his laughing. Luckily, Eggman kept the roofs of his bases ice-free, so he didn't have to worry about slipping.

After making her run in circles a few times, he tried to cut through the center of the roof, but was promptly tackled to the ground. He quickly spun around to grab her, forcing her to fall to the ground with him. They lay next to each other, their laughs dying down until they simply held each other close, the flare from the sun framing their silhouettes as their foreheads pressed against each other, their breath fogging up the crisp air between them.

"You should try shampoo." Amy brushed her fingers through his quills.

"Heh." Sonic laced his fingers behind her back, "Maybe I will."

They stayed like that until the cold was too much to bear. It was late anyway, so they moved their conversation to their bunk bed, where Sonic made faces at her whenever he caught her eye.

He was almost too giddy to sleep, as her bright laughing smile was burned into his retinas. He finally drifted off after the darkness came over the room, and he couldn't help but feel like the luckiest hedgehog alive.

***


	33. Chapter 33

**February - Year 3**

Sonic was sluggish as he woke up that morning. Morning? It was morning, right? He really couldn't tell what time it was until he looked at his phone. It was 4:36 am, so technically morning. He didn't feel like going back to sleep, so he climbed down the ladder of the bunk bed he shared with Amy. He paused at her bedside to brush his fingers over her cheek, then he left the room to look for Shadow.

Familiar or not? The base kept giving him that weird creeping feeling, but the next second it would be gone. It was like puzzle pieces fitting together in his head, but they weren't the same pieces from the same box. It was kind of giving him a headache, but he chose to ignore it for now.

He found the elusive doppelganger where he always seemed to go when he needed to think; Outside the garage door of the deck. His head was facing away from the base, watching the horizon, where tiny black dots huddled in the distance. Penguins.

Shadow had his brow creased when Sonic sat beside him, "Hey, Shads."

Shadow opened his eyes, "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

Sonic shrugged, "I don't feel like sleeping right now. What are you thinking about?"

Shadow dangled his feet over the edge of the glacier, watching each wave as they crashed into the ice several miles down. He didn't answer at first, just trying to formulate his answer.

"Eggman didn't build this base." he rested his elbows on his knees, "I've been in almost all of his bases, but this one stands out."

"Really?" Sonic gulped, fearing the worst, "Who built it, then?"

"Who do you think?" Shadow gestured towards the facility with a raised eyebrow, "The good doctor; Gerald Robotnik. He always had a signature building style, and it has never been replicated by other engineers. I watched him build countless machines myself, so I recognize his expertise in a second."

Sonic bit his lip as a lump formed in his throat. His voice came out too quiet, "So what does that mean?"

Shadow, sensing his distress, placed an arm on his shoulder, "I can tell this place makes you uncomfortable. Why?"

Sonic shook as he rubbed his hands together, "Because...it feels so familiar to me, but only sometimes, and...I don't know..."

Shadow crossed his ankles over the edge, "Familiar like how? Have you ever been here before?"

"Um, no...I don't think so..." Sonic gazed into the ocean, "But I just can't shake the feeling...you know?"

Shadow stood up, offering his hand to Sonic, "I have a theory. Come with me."

The base was quiet this early in the morning. Orbot and Cubot were on their charging docks in the storage room, and the cafeteria robots were all plugged in, green lights flitting across their screens to show their charging progress.

Shadow checked each room number before climbing the stairs, "Did you know that you turned seventeen last year?"

"I did?" Sonic was bewildered, "It doesn't feel like it. We've been missing a lot of birthdays lately, huh?"

"We'll have to throw a huge party once this is all over." Shadow smiled at him, reaching the hallway above and waiting for Sonic to catch up.

"Yeah..." Sonic climbed the last step before Shadow continued. This was more of a restricted area, where Eggman had more labs and machines than basic emedities, "When's your birthday, Shadow?"

"Well..." Shadow tapped his chin as he turned a corner, "I don't technically have one, but on the Ark's log, my creation was finalized on June nineteenth of Nineteen fifty one. That means I just turned...fifty eight?"

"Wow." Sonic gently hit Shadow's shoulder, "You're old."

"Psh." Shadow pushed him in response, "Shut up."

Shadow stopped at the right room, and Sonic froze.

Shadow looked back at him, seemingly getting a gauge on his reaction, "Well?"

Sonic swayed, his heartbeat suddenly too loud in his ears. His hands became tight fists. His throat was dry. This room...

He knew it so well.

_"Doctor..." A tiny blue hedgehog lay in the corner, hugging his knees to his chest, "Doctor! Can I go yet?"_

_"Not if you keep interrupting me!" The doctor set his red screwdriver down, twirling his moustache between his fingers, "Trust me, this is the last adjustment I need to make before I will allow you to leave. Trust me. This will be perfect."_

_Sonic watched his tears drip down until they landed on the metal floor. How long had he been here? Months? In his tiny 6-year-old brain, nothing seemed to fit together. He must have upset the scientist somehow. Why else would he put him in that giant glass tube and shock him? He must have done something wrong, so why wouldn't the doctor tell him what it was?_

_"Don't worry, Sonic. You are the perfect candidate for this experiment." Eggman lifted the blue Chaos Emerald, watching as angry sparks shot off it into the air, "It won't hurt this time, I'm sure of it."_

_Sonic lifted his hand to feel the scar on his chest. He had said that last time. What was happening? Why was the doctor lying? What had he done wrong?_

"Sonic!"

Sonic snapped back to the present. Shadow was roughly shaking him by his brown scarf.

He had a sensation of being dunked in ice water. He lifted his hands to grab his face.

"Sonic, are you there? Can you hear me?"

Sonic looked up at Shadow. His tired red eyes reflected concern.

 _"Hhh..._ y-yeah. Fine, fine." Sonic pushed away from him, feeling his chest for the scar that had been there in his misplaced memory, but it was absent. He counted his scars. The one he got in his first fight with metal, the one he got attempting a new stunt on his skateboard, the one he got when he failed to slow his descent when he fell from the sky a few years back...every one of them was accounted for.

"Sonic?" Shadow took his hands and squeezed them, "What are you looking for?"

"Nothing, it's nothing."

Shadow noted how much he was still shaking, "I don't believe you."

Sonic shook his head, "I don't understand...I know I've never been here before. I hadn't met Robotnik until that day in my tenth year...I was still in school in Station Square when I was six! Why am I suddenly getting this odd sensation?"

"I don't know, but let's get you away from this room." Shadow steered him away from the door, "This answers my question, though. I'll tell you all about it in the morning."

Sonic was numb. His teeth began to chatter. He had been here before...but he hadn't at the same time?

No. Something weird was going on, and he didn't like it.

***

"Sonic?"

Sonic looked up from where he sat on the couch. Amy was still in her pajamas; A red jersey with the number 16 on it, and a matching pair of basketball shorts. Her short quills spiked out behind her head, as she hadn't combed them down yet this morning. She had a steaming mug in her hands, probably decaf coffee.

Sonic hoped the dark circles under his eyes weren't too obvious, "Hey, Ames. Sleep well?"

She sat next to him, "What happened to you? Did you sleep at all last night?"

He stared down at the floor, choosing for the moment to not answer.

Tails' voice came from the hallway outside, "Okay, so I've managed to track down Lyric to his base of operations," his eyes landed on Sonic, "Jeez, Sonic! Are you okay!?"

"Ugh..." Sonic massaged his forehead as Tails and Knuckles joined him on the couch, "No, not really..."

Amy leaned into his side, holding him tight with both arms. He ignored her, staring at his hands instead.

"I wouldn't trust him with that." Shadow entered the room with Silver and Blaze, "And besides, you'll need your strength if we are to take down our adversaries."

Shadow paused in the doorway, and his expression turned sad.

Silver took his place on the other couch, and Blaze sat beside him, "Sonic? Did something happen?"

Sonic rubbed his eyes, "What were you talking about, Shadow?"

Shadow leaned into the doorway, taking out his black emerald to stare into its inky interior, "Eggman wants to test the limits of Silver's powers, but I really don't trust him. We don't need to know that anyway, the emeralds will give him all the range he needs when the time comes."

Tails glanced up at Shadow, his unfocused gaze landing on the map still up on his Electric. 

"Sonic." Shadow placed his emerald on the coffee table, "You can't avoid it forever. Let me explain what you saw."

"No."

The answer was immediate. Sonic hadn't lifted his head, but his friends didn't need to see his expression to know what he was feeling.

"Don't tell me." his voice was low. Carefully levelled, "I don't want to know."

Shadow sighed, rubbing his forehead with his palm. His eyes were closed for awhile as he tried to think of a response.

_You would really rather not know?_

Metal Sonic. He stood in the doorway, his head tilted down as his red eyes bore into Sonic. He still didn't look up, but his hands had begun to shake.

 _Shadow the Hedgehog, right?_ Metal approached him until he was about 2 feet away, _It is interesting how much you know about this facility. Are you certain you've never been here before?_

"I don't need to." Shadow replied, crossing his arms, "This facility was designed by Gerald Robotnik, right?"

_That's correct. I am impressed that you could tell._

Shadow gave a nod towards Sonic, "If you don't want to know, then I won't tell you, but keep in mind that if you end up finding the truth yourself by accident, it may end up more shocking and painful for you than if I had told you from the start. I have a mission today, so I'll be away most of the day. Are you sure you don't want me to tell you?"

Sonic continued to stare at the floor, "Yes, I'm sure."

Shadow took his emerald back, "Alright. Hang in there, okay? And...I'm sorry about last night. I really didn't know you would react so strongly to it."

"'S okay." Sonic shuttered. He didn't need to be reminded, "Good luck on your mission, okay?"

"Thank you." Shadow stared at him for one more moment before he left, his metal shoes echoing throughout the hallway.

The tension was so thick, you could have cut it with a knife.

"So..." Tails turned his screen back on after it had timed out, "Who wants to hear my plan to take down Lyric?"

Sonic finally looked up, his smile breaking through his clear misery, "Sure, Buddy. Whatcha got?"

***


	34. Chapter 34

**March - Year 3**

Sonic made careful steps through the tall grass. Tails was leading the way through the tropical rainforest, with the other six Wielders in tow. Rouge and Omega had also come to assist in the heist, though Sonic was a little baffled at how much Rouge was towering over Shadow. Even without her heels, she had a good three inches on him. How old was she at this point, 21?

Rouge pulled her thin jacket tighter around herself, "No offense, hun, but Lyric making his base in such an obviously organic area seems unlikely to me."

Tails swiped at the air when a mosquito flew by his ear, "I was just thinking the same thing, but trust me, this is where the signals led."

He stopped near what looked like a tall metal cylinder, and Sonic walked backwards until he was passed it.

"Wait..." Tails hit a button on his device, _"No way. That can't be right..."_

Sonic glanced at the cylinder, wondering what it could be for, "Tails? Whatcha looking at?"

"Guys, look at the trees, the grass, the vines." Tails took a stray tropical leaf in his hand to rub between his fingers, "Look closely. Do you notice anything?"

Sonic walked over to one of the trees and placed his hand on it. He knew something was off immediately. He was in nature all the time. He knew what palm bark was supposed to feel like. Or leaves. Or grass.

He swallowed, taking a better look at their surroundings, "Tails...lemme see that."

Tails handed the device to him, and he scrutinized the readings, "Oh..."

A mosquito landed on Sonic's neck, and he smacked it before it could bite him. He looked at his hand. The dead mosquito was made out of metal.

Shadow stepped over the grass, "Guys?"

Sonic handed the Electric back to his friend, "Are we in any danger?"

"No." Tails walked carefully past the cylinder, "But nothing here is made of organic compounds. We are, in fact, surrounded by robots. Even the dirt in this region is mostly silicone."

Sonic couldn't help but feel a little sick, "Who does that!? Is Lyric out of his mind!?”

"Well, the answer is yes," Silver tripped on a low-hanging vine, "Whoa!"

"Careful!" Blaze caught him.

"But here's the thing; If you've been slighted by illness as much as he has, I think you would feel similar about being vulnerable to infection, especially if you're supposed to be immune to regular pathogens."

The facility itself began to appear between the trees, and the seam between organic and robotic became a lot more obvious.

"I'm not joking." Silver spoke softly as he looked at the giant mechanical building, completely silver in color, "Lyric spent most of his early life fighting illness. Granted, I'm sure it didn't help that he kept going after the power of the crystals, but he was always sick with something. The other ancients feared that if his greed didn't get him killed, his sickness would instead. He got to a point where he was so weak, he could barely keep his own head up. Turning himself into a cyborg was probably the only way he saw an escape."

"Wow." Sonic watched as Tails plugged his Electric into the building, "That's actually kind of...sad."

"Don't waste your sympathy on him." Shadow peered around the corner as soon as the door opened, "Don't forget that he killed Sonar, and he sent his robotic army after his own family. He wants to do this-" he gestured to the fake forest, "-to the rest of the world, and remember what he did to Tails?"

Tails' voice came out as a squeak, _"Don't remind me."_

"You're very kind, Sonic." Shadow waved them in, indicating the coast was clear, "But save it for the people who need it."

"Obviously." Sonic cringed as Omega nearly hit his head on the doorframe, "What happened to Tails alone makes him unforgivable. I'll gladly fight Eggman for the rest of my days as long as Lyric is gone."

"And that's why we're here." the door shut behind them, and Shadow counted each party member to make sure they were accounted for, "Tails, how much further in? Is Lyric here right now?"

Tails sighed in relief, _"Whew._ Not right now, but we'd better hurry. This base is on high alert."

Blaze lit a fire in her palm, "I don't like this place. Let's be careful."

Sonic took the helm beside Tails, noting how high the ceiling went up, "Look at that platform up there. I bet I could reach it. Are there any baddies?"

Tails hit a button on the screen that created a heatmap over the facility, "No. That area is pretty barren actually. You should still be careful, though."

Sonic nodded, looking back at his friends before offering a prayer to Chip, _Gaia, I need the monster._

That's all it took. The transformation rippled over him, and from the inside out, the werehog was back. Sonic flexed his muscles before reaching his massive arm up towards the platform, high into the air. On top of the wall, he found a door with a mechanical lock, so he carefully pried his fingers into the gap between the doors and pulled it open.

A door beside the rest of the group opened up as Sonic emerged from inside, "Guys, you gotta see this!"

Sonic transformed back as they entered. This was a pretty standard circular room, full of robotic parts, tools, and blueprints. A glass tube sat in the center of the room, and the sight of it made a pit form in Sonic's stomach.

A rat scurried in through the air vent, scavenging for food, until it made its way inside the glass tube, and the machine came to life, whirring and steaming, making a lot of mechanical noise until the rat came out the other side, fully roboticized. It stretched, wrinkling its nose, like it wasn't even sure what had just happened, until it escaped through the open door.

Sonic put his hand in front of the group, "Yikes. We'd better stay far away from that."

Tails did a quick scan on the tube with his device, "Oh, man. That thing is a final-stage prototype. I hope Lyric hasn't figured out how to make that work for people..."

"I'm not taking any chances." Sonic backed up until his friends were forced out of the room, "It's not what we're looking for anyway."

Omega lagged behind due to his size, _"Why is becoming a robot such a negative outcome in any case?"_

Sonic watched the hallway for any sign of trouble, "Uhh..."

"That's not the point." Amy had a shawl around her shoulders, and she had ditched her pink dress in favor of long pants, "If someone wanted to be themselves but just as a robot, that's fair enough, but that's not what Lyric is doing."

"He wants people to be his slaves." Knuckles added, who by now was even taller than Rouge, even if you counted her bat-like ears, "The robots he wants have no mind of their own. They only exist to fulfil his greed. He doesn't just want people who will never get sick or die, he wants to strip them of their free will."

"And besides, roboticization is permanent." Tails turned right when they came to a fork in the road, "Especially when it's not your choice, something like that carries huge consequences. Forcing any kind of change like that onto someone without their consent is vile."

Shadow laughed under his breath, "It's not just that we hate robots, don't you worry."

 _"This is a sufficient answer."_ Omega's head swiveled around his neck, _"After all, I know the agony of working beneath another."_

"Just hold off on the weapons, hun." Rouge gave his wrist a pat, "I know you're just dying to use them, but sometimes subtlety is the key, okay?"

"Everybody hush!" Tails peered around the corner, "Whoa..."

"Tails?" Sonic knelt down to join him, "What do you see?"

Tails put a finger to his lips, tilting his head towards the open doorway further in. They kept their mouths shut as they made their way inside the main room. It had a familiar design, but it was one main cylindrical shape, with slots along the base that had specific hollowed-out shapes in them.

Tails lifted one finger in the air, then he turned to Sonic and set his device down, _We have to be really quiet here. Lyric has a lot of sensors in this room, and we don't want to be caught._

Sonic spared a glance at each of his teammates, making sure they had gotten the message, _What are those slots in the sides for?_

Tails handed his Electric over to Sonic, _The emeralds. All fourteen of them._

Sonic felt something crawling on his spine, and he whipped his head around. There was nobody there, but it didn't put his mind at ease.

Sonic swallowed, _Let's go. Now._ he took his emerald out.

Tails retrieved his own yellow emerald, nodding towards the others to do the same, _"Chaos Control."_

All of them appeared in Eggman's docking bay, and Sonic began to pace nervously.

Tails shook the chills from his frame, "Sonic, what happened?"

"I was freaked out, okay!?" Sonic dug the heels of his palms into his eye sockets, "I thought for sure I heard something! Or felt something! I don't know what it was, but something was there!"

Knuckles rolled his shoulders, "You don't think that snake is onto us?"

Sonic stared at the orange buckle on his shoe, "I don't know, but I wasn't about to take any chances." he hopped a few times in place to shake the jitters off, "Tails, was that some kind of modified Eclipse Cannon?"

Tails didn't answer. His ears were low, casting a shadow over his face.

Sonic approached him to place a hand on his shoulder, "Tails?"

"What? Yes, I think so. Sorry." Tails rubbed his hands together, "There were seven along the bottom row for the Chaos Emeralds, and seven on the top for the Sol Emeralds. My guess is that Lyric is going to use it to make every organic lifeform into a robot..."

He trailed off.

Tails tried to steady his shaking voice, _"O-or..."_

"'Or'?" Sonic knelt down to better meet his eye, "Tails, what's wrong?"

Tails swallowed, grabbing the toolbelt around his chest, "W-well...when Lyric had me prisoner, he expressed a desire to harm you somehow. See...he still thinks you're Sonar."

Sonic thought about that, "What did he say specifically?"

"He said he would give you five years." Tails took a step back, leaving Sonic's hold, "And..."

He trailed off. Sonic stood up straight, his fists at both his sides.

"When was this?"

"Two years ago, when I was eight."

_Eight years old._

Sonic pushed that out of his mind. He had plenty of time to be outraged later, "So we've got three years left?"

Tails counted the time on his fingers, "I guess so."

Sonic clasped his hands behind his back, tapping his foot as he mulled over the new information.

"Okay." Sonic twirled his blue emerald in his hand, "Let's lay low for awhile. In the meantime, I'm telling Annie to watch the other Sol Emeralds."

He disappeared in that swath of blue light, and the others simply watched the ground where he once stood until he came back.

***


	35. Chapter 35

**June - Year 3**

Silver watched the horizon as the sky went from blue to pink to orange to red to purple, before the sun disappeared and left a blanket of stars on the world. He was sitting on the top of Empire City's towering skyscraper, the tallest in the western continent, and it was clear why no other building around it compared. The windows reflected the shimmering twilight, mirroring the ocean's colors down below, and causing the white teenager to stare in wonder.

He never had this back home. Even after he was taken from his abusive birth parents, Iblis hung over the horizon, trapped in an endless cycle of darkness and blinding red-hot light. He frowned, his lip quivering as he forced the tears back.

He was so alone back then. Alone and afraid.

"Silver!"

Silver gasped, jumping off the roof and assuming a fighting stance in the air. Ripples of fear washed over his skin.

"Silver!" Sonic ran up the side of the building to land on the roof, "Oh, there you are! Sorry for calling you out like that, I was just worried when you disappeared!"

"Sonic!" Silver put a hand over his heart as he landed, "Jeez, you gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry." Sonic grabbed his arm before he had a chance to bolt, "Why are you out here? Lyric could find you."

"I know, but..." Silver rubbed the chills from his arms, "It's just that...it's too dark without the sun. I need to see it sometimes. I just..."

Sonic let his gaze drop, "I understand. Let's see if Egghead'll let us go, yeah?"

Silver looked at the sun one last time, "Okay."

"You're okay?"

"Yeah. Fine."

Once they were back at base, Sonic headed for Eggman's office, knocking on the door frame as he entered, "Hey Eggface, what's the status on Lyric?"

Eggman grimaced as he stared at his computer screen, "Not good. He keeps making back-and-forth trips to the Gaia temples, which I just can't understand!"

Sonic pursed his lips, thinking to himself, _Gaia, what's Lyric doing at your temples?_

Gaia replied just as softly, _I don't know. I think he's trying to summon the other ancients, but they would never respond to his call._

That made sense. Even knowing that the ancients could hide from him still didn't put his mind at ease, though. If there was one thing he knew about Lyric, it was that he was clever. He only hoped they knew what they were doing.

"Could we switch bases?" Sonic asked, "Preferably closer to the equator?"

"No! That is out of the question!" Eggman stood up from his chair to glower down at his former nemesis, "This base has never been so secure! Moving now would only compromise our secrecy!"

Eggman kept talking, but Sonic didn't hear. Again, he was hit with that familiarity, and for the first time in months, too.

He was dizzy. His vision blacked out. His heart pounded on the back of his eyelids.

A shutter wracked his frame.

"Hedgehog! Are you listening to me!?"

Sonic took Silver's upper arm in his shaky grip, closing the door behind him.

"Sonic?" Silver pried Sonic's hand off of him, "Are you okay?"

Sonic hung his head so his expression was out of view. He tried to stifle his heavy breathing.

"Yeah." when he lifted his head, his easy smile was back, "But it looks like we're out of luck. Sorry, Silver."

"Darn." Silver slowly steered Sonic away from the office, "Thanks for asking him. I just can't stay here, though. These fluorescent lights aren't a good enough substitute for actual sunlight!"

"But if you leave, then Lyric might find you."

"I know, but..." Silver gave a heavy sigh, "Lyric isn't looking for me anyway."

When he didn't elaborate, Sonic slipped out of his hold, "What do you mean?"

Silver retained a neutral demeanor, but Sonic couldn't help but feel that his gaze looked kind of...stormy?

"I'll be in Empire City." Silver took out his white emerald, "I'll be back in a few."

He was gone before Sonic could question him further.

***

Shadow stood up as the remnants of Black Arms goonies disappeared in a burst of black smoke. Three more steps, and he would be there.

**Shadow, you are a traitor to your own blood.**

He had gotten used to that incessant voice in the back of his head, but as he continued on his mission, the voice got louder and louder, almost drowning out his own thoughts. He wouldn't let it phase him. His goal was the only thing on his mind.

Rouge landed next to him, "How much further?"

Shadow waited until the noise of Omega's rockets had died down, "Just in this next room. We're in the heart of Black Doom's land now. All we need is to cut out his blood supply, and he will be greatly weakened."

Rouge blocked his path, "The other ancients don't have a blood supply. Why does Black Doom have one?"

That momentary distraction was enough to let some of Shadow's headache push against the back of his eyes, "It's...because of the nature of this land. Black Doom never wanted to share his power, instead he created a vessel to carry it until he could use it to kill all life on earth." Shadow brushed past her, more roughly than he'd intended, "It's less of a blood supply and more of a pirate with buried treasure."

"Couldn't he just steal it back?"

"Yes." Shadow waved her to the cave's entrance, "Why do you think we need to fight all these baddies? This is Black Doom trying to stop us. Let's hurry."

The inside of the cave was dark, even more so than outside, so Omega clicked on the flashlights in his eyes. There was a hole in the ground that was deep enough that you couldn't see the bottom.

"Here we are." Shadow twirled the black emerald in his hand, "I bet you wish you could have this." he set it on the ground beside him, "Well, that's just too bad."

Shadow lit a match, revealing the darkness below as an actual mass of black fog. It shrunk away from the fire as Shadow held the match above the pit.

His hands began to shake. His eyes watered.

Rouge placed a hand on his shoulder, finding it cold, "Shadow?"

The voice in his head was too loud. He begged his arm to obey him and let go of the match, but it refused. Black Doom was not giving up that easily.

Shadow was becoming numb. It was as if his skin was turning to stone. An icy fear gripped him, and he tugged back on his arm until Black Doom let him go and he fell backwards, the match going out as it landed on the dusty ground.

He quickly sat up, scooting away from the pit, "Rouge, could you do this for me?"

She knelt down next to him to take the matchbox, "Sure, hun. You okay?"

"I'm fine, but he has no control over you." Shadow hugged himself, "Just do it quickly!"

Rouge did just that. As soon as she got a match that would light, she tossed it into the pit. It immediately caught fire, and the cave was filled with smoke.

**WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WHAT HAV-!**

Shadow squeezed his temples until the headache subsided, and when it did, he was drained, but he also marvelled at how clear his head was afterwards. He opened his eyes, standing up, feeling the stiffness of his joints.

"Now..." Shadow rubbed his arms to try and get warmth back into them as he left the cave, "There's only one thing left to do..."

***

Rouge recounted the story as the others listened, flying through space in the borrowed GUN Cruiser. Sonic felt a growing knot in his stomach towards the end, and Tails had long since set his Electric aside to stare out the window.

Sonic rubbed his seatbelt between his fingers, "Are we going to see Shadow now?"

"Yes." Rouge was oddly somber as she steered toward the Ark, "He still regrets leaving you guys so suddenly last time, so he wanted to give you a proper goodbye this time. Not goodbye forever, mind you. Shadow can be dramatic sometimes."

Tails playfully elbowed Sonic, "I wonder where he gets it from."

Sonic gently shoved him back, laughing, "Shut up!"

Silver looked up from where he'd been shaping a piece of granite with his powers, "Is it because Shadow is still being controlled? Is it getting harder to fight?"

"I honestly don't know." Rouge parked the cruiser in the massive and very cold garage, "He's definitely getting more tired. I think he's looking forward to being free. I certainly can't wait to see him stop suffering."

Sonic let Amy take his hand on his other side, "He's going to live, right? He will if I have anything to say about it."

Rouge smiled back at him as she opened the roof to get out, "You know, little blue...he really cares about you. He tells me that ever since the two of you stood eye-to-eye, he's been protective of you. I think maybe you inspired him to keep living, even when he thought it was impossible."

Sonic's shoes hit the metal of the garage floor, and Rouge stood beside him, one hand on her hip.

"He's been smiling a lot lately." she smiled warmly at him, "Keep inspiring people, alright Sonic?"

Sonic's heart swelled with pride as he saluted her, "Will do, Captain!"

Tails ran into Sonic to wrap his arms around his waist, "I don't like it here..."

"Aw, I know you don't." Sonic gathered him up to hold him close, "Don't worry, it'll be warmer inside."

Tails was bundled up in three layers of coats, but he was still cold. Sonic lifted him up while Knuckles headed to the garage's light switch.

"Okay." Knuckles opened the garage door that led into the main body of the spacecraft, "Show us the way."

Rouge brushed past him, subtly touching his bicep before disappearing around the corner. He ignored her.

Shadow was in the room he had been in the day Sonic found him all those years ago, in front of the cryogenic stasis machine. He turned around when the door opened, and his stern expression softened.

His arms dropped to his sides as he looked out the giant window at the earth, "You came."

"Of course we did." Sonic gave his arm a punch, "So, explain what you're doing?"

"Well..." Shadow handed his black emerald to Rouge, "Like I said, I can't help you fight Black Doom, in fact, since he has so much control over me, I might end up getting in your way. Therefore, I decided to put myself to sleep until he has been disposed of."

Sonic glanced back at his friends, "How long will you be gone?"

Shadow shrugged, "Until Black Doom is gone."

Rouge tried to hand the gem back to Shadow, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm sure." Shadow pressed a button on the console, and it opened up for him, "Don't worry. I won't get in your way."

"That's not what I'm worried about."

Shadow stared into the tube, where massive wires jutted out from the inside, ready for its charge.

"I know." he turned back to face her, "Rouge, listen...I appreciate everything you've done for me. I still feel that I don't deserve your kindness, but I'm working on it. I'll see you later, alright?"

Shadow held his hand out for a handshake, but instead, Rouge gave him a huge hug. He reciprocated gratefully.

"You'd better take care of yourself, Shadow." she held him at arm's length, "Or you'll be in huge trouble!"

Shadow chuckled, "Rouge, you're not my mom."

"I know, but someone's gotta keep you boys in line." Rouge gestured towards Omega, as if emphasizing her point.

"Well..." Shadow took a step back, "Alright. You have my word."

His eyes swept over the group, and Sonic opened his mouth to speak.

"Shadow..." he offered a smile, "I'll...see you later, okay?"

Shadow nodded, "Yes, you will." he entered the pod, and the glass closed around him, "Just remember to come back for me!"

"We will!" Sonic waved.

The glass began to fill up with thick blue liquid, and the wires attached themselves to Shadow's head, arms, and back.

 _"You're extraordinary. All of you."_ Shadow's voice was muffled by the layers surrounding him, _"Give Black Doom my regards, won't you?"_

Once the pod was filled, the wires locked in place. The whole system took a red glow, and then Shadow was asleep.

Sonic let the silence hang, placing one hand on the console as it went into power-saving mode.

"Let's go." he said, "We have no time to lose."

***


	36. Chapter 36

**June - Year 3**

_One, two, three, four..._

Sonic placed the six emeralds they had in a circle, with his friends along the outside. His nerves were shot, but he was also oddly calm. Confident, even.

_Five...six..._ he stood up, brushing his hands off, "You guys ready?"

Tails gave an annoyed sigh, "Do we _have_ to?"

"I agree with Tails." Knuckles eyed the glowing emeralds, "This is gonna suuuck!"

"Look, not that you're wrong or anything..." Sonic stretched his arms in the air, "But Black Doom needs to be stopped. The sooner we get it over with, the sooner we can go home and sleep for a hundred years. Capiche?"

Silver and Blaze shared wary glances.

Amy was the first to enter the circle, "Come on, guys. You want to get this guy out of the picture, don't you?"

Blaze joined her, "Now or never."

Silver worked up his courage next, then Knuckles, then Tails.

"Thanks, guys. I knew I could count on you." Sonic was the last, and the emeralds swirled around them, "Let's go."

Once all six of them were in the air, they dashed in the direction of Black Doom's temple, where he was most likely to show up.

However, once they arrived, it was clear he was nowhere to be found.

"That's odd..." Tails lay back in the air, like he was on an invisible recliner, "He's here, isn't he?"

Sonic felt around before asking Chip, _Gaia, where's Black Doom?_

_You mean Eclipse? I don't know, I don't feel his power anywhere near earth._

Sonic's skin prickled despite the power from the emeralds.

"Follow me! I know where he is!"

The sky went from blue to purple and then to black as they ascended. The Space Colony Ark was no longer visible behind the black cloud that surrounded it, but it dispersed in response to their light. Sonic was careful not to destroy the walls or doorways, but he was still quick as he made his way to the room where Shadow lay in stasis.

"No!" Silver opened the door before they reached it, "You don't think-!?"

Sonic paused in the doorway. Eclipse was hovering over Shadow's pod, as if he was deciding whether or not to release him.

**"Hm?"** Eclipse turned to greet them, **"I wasn't expecting visitors..."**

"You don't live here!" Sonic pushed him away from the pod, "And don't you dare disturb him! He's had enough of your nonsense! Hasn't he suffered enough!?"

**"You are all just foolish mortals!"** Eclipse lifted his arms into the air, and the black fog enveloped him, **"Why should he be worth anything to you!? He is my tool, and nothing more!"**

"You're wrong!" Sonic grabbed Eclipse by the cape and teleported him outside, "Shadow is our friend!"

The others surrounded him, the warmth from the emeralds beating on his clammy skin.

"Wanna see what mortals can do!?" Sonic delivered a kick to Eclipse' head, and his body dissolved into the fog, "Come on, guys!"

Silver reached into the fog with his powers, "Huh? He's-!"

The fog gathered all in one place, and Black Doom appeared as a tall demon-like creature, with six eyes and three pairs of wings. He was tall, too, easily the size of a two-story building. He lifted a clawed hand to the team as a warbled laugh echoed through space.

**"They always told me that mortals couldn't handle my true form. Ha! Even they devalue their own fodder!"**

Sonic flew towards him, even as his jaw clenched with the noise.

"Sonic!" Knuckles gave him his arm, "Throw me at him!"

Sonic wasted no time, spinning his friend in a circle before letting him fly. As soon as Knuckles had landed a hit though, he was knocked back considerably.

**"You think your fancy rocks will be enough to hurt me!? Don't make me laugh!"**

"I don't know, you seemed pretty eager on that black rock in your temple!" Sonic got close enough to land a hit, "Or did you forget!?"

The breath left his lungs when he was knocked back. This was getting them nowhere. If they kept only getting hits on him between being knocked back, the emeralds would be drained before Black Doom's armor had even been dented! They would have to find a way to beat him faster!

Luckily, speed was Sonic's specialty.

He floated away from the fight, carefully letting his friends continue while he sent a quick prayer to Chaos, asking him to extend the power of the emeralds to give them more time. Then, he prayed to Gaia for his monster form. He marvelled at the glittery golden sheen of his longer fur before returning to the fight, where Amy was systematically hitting people into Black Doom using her powered-up hammer.

Sonic located Black Doom's weak spot; A red jewel between his many eyes. He reeled back, then he threw his arm with practiced ease. His claws opened up, and then they closed around the demon's jaw.

**"What!? Mortal, what are you-!?"**

Sonic flew at him, his arm like a grappling hook, and with his other hand, poised to strike, he scratched at the jewel, and it cracked.

**"NO!"** Black Doom tried to pry him away, but he held fast, **"LET ME GO! LET ME GO OR I'LL BURN YOUR PRECIOUS EARTH TO ASH!"**

Sonic ignored him. He anchored his claws into Black Doom's face, holding on like his life depended on it, slashing at it again and again, until the jewel was broken enough to glow.

_**"LET ME GO!"**_ Black Doom screamed, flailing like a rabbit trying to escape a hungry fox, _**"ALL OF YOU WILL BURN! I WILL USE THE LAST OF MY POWER TO DESTROY-!"**_

"Underestimating mortals will be your last mistake!" Sonic lifted his clawed hand one last time, "Say goodbye, you monster! And by the way, _Shadow sends his regards!"_

Sonic delivered the final blow, tearing the jewel from his head. Black Doom's crystal flew off of him, and it radiated with cracks, pulsing with dark power, until-!

Sonic was violently thrown back, his monster form and the emerald's power leaving him in the next second. All he saw was the blackness of outer space, dotted with many stars, until the sun came out from behind the earth, and he was bathed in a warm light.

***

_"Huh?" Sonar snapped out of his train of thought, "I'm sorry, Talesh. Did you say something?"_

_His siblings were all looking at him, gathered around their table in the palace to discuss the rising of mortals, and the banishment of Lyric. Seven of them stood now, and all six had their eyes on him._

_"Sonar..." Talesh gave his shoulder a squeeze, "Are you alright? You seem so distracted."_

_"Ah, yes. I'm fine." Sonar's smile felt fake, even to him, "I'm just tired. My city hasn't been building itself, you know?"_

_None of them seemed to buy it, but they let the issue drop as they continued their discussion without him. He caught bits and pieces, but mostly, he was just wondering where it all went wrong._

_After a few more minutes of stormy thoughts, he quietly left the table to go outside._

_The balcony provided some much-needed cool air after being stuck inside all day. He took off his red cloak, laying it over his arms as he leaned over the railing. He was overjoyed at all the life that was springing up from nothing. The world was becoming so vibrant, so full of color. He thought he smelled the ocean from here, too. It was such a lovely sight._

_And Lyric wanted to take it all away._

_Sonar frowned, his cloud of dark thoughts returning. Why was it so necessary to make nature so brutal? Living things had to kill each other in order to stay alive. That didn't seem like a fair system. The building blocks of nature always came from other living things. After all, none of them could survive off of nothing. Even Sonar himself who so valued life could not escape from this reality._

_He tried to make it fair, he really did, so why did everything still feel so out of his control?_

_"Sonar?"_

_Sonar didn't look up, didn't turn around. He knew that voice anywhere, "Eclipse."_

_"Why did you leave?" Eclipse lifted his mask to rest on his head as he joined Sonar by the railing, "Was it too much? You're our leader, you know."_

_"I know, but..." Sonar ran his thumb over the embroidery on his cape, "I just can't stop thinking about Lyric. Do you really think he would kill us just to make all mortals into his robotic slaves?"_

_Eclipse didn't answer, instead gazing out over the landscape with an unreadable expression._

_"I know I'm supposed to be able to figure it out. That's why you guys look up to me, right?" Sonar sighed sadly, his elbows on the railing, "But I just feel so lost. I've never felt so much like I'm about to mess everything up."_

_Eclipse placed a hand on his arm, "You're not the only one. I think the others understand. Sometimes, the right choice just doesn't feel right to you."_

_"But I don't even know what the right choice is." Sonar let his cape fall to the grass below, watching it sway in the wind before it crumpled beneath them, "I'm going to let Mother down, I just know it. I have to stop Lyric from hurting anyone, but his robotics will ultimately save people from disease...won't it?"_

_Eclipse surrounded the cloak with power, lifting it back up until it was in his hands._

_"Brother, there is no life without risk." Eclipse replaced the cloak around Sonar's shoulders, "If free will exists, then so does the capacity for evil. If Lyric gets his way, there will be no free will. A life of happiness has sadness in it. That is how it works. Would you rather give your mortals no life or a life with both good and bad emotions?"_

_Sonar held still until Eclipse was done with the clasp on his cape. He had to really reach to get it on, as Sonar was a full head taller than him. When he was done, Sonar placed a hand over the clasp._

_"That is a good point. Heh. You should be the leader of the Chaos Wielders, Eclipse. You clearly have more wisdom than I do."_

_"Not wisdom. Just...a different perspective." Eclipse replaced his mask over his face, "Let's go back. I'm sure we can figure something out."_

_Sonar let his brother take his hand as he was led back inside. Even when life was full of mistakes, Eclipse was right. There was no life of only happiness._

_He made up his mind. He would stop Lyric, even if he had to seal him away._

***


	37. Chapter 37

**??? - Year 3**

Sonic's eyes opened to a blurry blue sky. There were lots of clouds, but none that blocked the sun. The grass was vibrant and soft. He sat up, trying to get a gauge on his surroundings.

Was that really Eclipse? Black Doom? It couldn't be. The Eclipse in Sonar's memory was so kind and wise. There's no way it could be the same person. Was this why Sonar had died peacefully? Maybe he was already so stressed about losing one sibling that he couldn't possibly think that another would turn on him, and this was already after Chip split himself in half and had to be sealed away, and also after Solaris had met an untimely demise, before he was set free again and again. Sonar had fought to the death to keep Lyric away from his city, and all it got him was slander, and a broken earth. He thought back to when he first met Talesh. No wonder he had cried when he was told it was Eclipse who turned on them, and not Sonar. Eclipse was their brother, too, and they loved him like one.

Sonic couldn't help but feel sorry for him, but he also felt immense pride. Sonar was his ancestor, after all.

It was then he heard something that made his ears stand on end; A series of tiny, warbling voices.

"Who's there!?" a blur of colors disappeared behind a bush, "Show yourself!"

A tiny head poked out from behind the bush. It was a white alien-like creature, with antenna on its head and a single purple eye. It lifted one of its arms in a friendly wave.

Sonic dropped his defensive demeanor, "Huh?"

One of the other aliens, a blue cube with three eyes, pulled the first back down, talking in what appeared to be an annoyed and anxious tone of voice. The first replied in a series of softer tones. What were they saying?

"Guys?" Sonic peered into the bush, "Who are you? What's going on?"

The bush had mostly white creatures in it, with a few other types like the blue cube, a spiky pink one, and a round green one. One of the white ones had a single curly hair on top of its head.

"Can you even understand me?"

The curly-haired one lept from the bush. It nodded its head, then it waved its arms at him, talking in that same garbled chatter.

"Wait..." Sonic peered off into the horizon, where green grass covered the whole landscape, "Where am I?"

The creatures looked at each other.

"Oh no! Black Doom! My friends!" Sonic fell backwards, "I don't even know where I am! Am I on an alien planet!? How am I going to get home!?"

He felt something shimmering beside him, and he instinctively reached for the familiar power. It was his blue Chaos Emerald. He could try to teleport back, but if he really was on some other planet, then he wouldn't be nearly close enough to get there. He might just end up stranded in space instead. He stared into the gem before he realized the garbled voices were becoming intelligible.

_"He's not crazy, right? He could have come from a planet of tyrants!"_

_"No way! Just look at him! He clearly didn't come here on purpose!"_

_"Yacker, you can't give every alien who lands here the benefit of the doubt!"_

_"Yeah! Remember what happened last time?"_

Sonic squeezed the emerald in his hands, "Guys?"

They quieted down. Well, except for the curly-haired one.

_"That thing feels like a hyper-go-on. You think he has power like that?"_

Sonic cleared his throat, "Okay, lemme try again; Hi, my name is Sonic the Hedgehog, and I really need to get home. Did you guys see where I came from?"

_"It is hyper-go-on! You see!? I told you!"_

The pink one popped its head up to match the curly-haired one's stare, _"You think he can understand us? That's ridiculous!"_

"Guys, answer my question, please."

They froze.

_"Yacker, don't-!"_

The curly-haired one straightened up, emerging from the bush and locking eyes with Sonic, _"Hi! My name is Yacker! Welcome to planet Wisp! Oh, and about where you came from, we didn't see. We just found you like this. Sorry!"_

Sonic's heart sank, "But I need to get home! My friends, I don't know if they're okay!"

_"How can you understand me? Nobody who crashes here does!"_

"Hey, I'm not gonna question it. I need to go _home."_

_"Aw, you can't stay even a little?"_

_"Yacker!"_

Sonic shook his head, "I really can't. If you won't help me get home, then I'll find a way back myself!"

He turned and he left. He was so far away from Gaia that the coolness in his veins was only barely there. He was no longer on Chip's turf, so trying to use his werehog form was out of the question. He only had one emerald too, and the Master Emerald was all the way back home, so even trying to use this power was already iffy without the headache he'd acquired from his fight. He felt his head, finding a new set of scratches that made his hand come back bloody. Yikes. A new set of scars.

He found a cliff overlooking a lake with both palm trees and coniferous trees. There was snow on the ground some distance away, but the lake still had lots of tiny alien fish in it. He sat on the cliff and used what was in the emerald to heal his head.

_"Sonic?"_

Sonic looked up. Yacker had followed him to the cliffside.

"Yeah?" Sonic finally got his head to stop bleeding, "Are you going to help me?"

_"Yes!"_ Yacker pointed to the emerald, _"You see, we wisps have an energy in our bodies called hyper-go-ons. It constantly regenerates, and it's very powerful! It's similar in fact to that thing you've got in your hands!"_

Sonic gazed down at the emerald. He wondered if this planet had its own set of ancients, "So, how can I use this hyper-go-on?"

_"I'll show you! Stand up!"_

Once he did, Yacker disappeared inside Sonic's chest.

"Whoa! Hey!" Sonic glowed with that white light, "What are you-!"

The energy flowed from his heart all the way out to his fingertips and toes. Feeling restless just holding still, he braced himself, and he took off.

He was running at top speed! And he wasn't getting tired! The last time he'd run at the speed of sound, he'd needed a lot to keep him going, including ring energy and lots of calories from chili dogs! He couldn't keep it up forever, of course, he had to slow down at some point, and once he had, Yacker reemerged.

_"Whew! You run fast!"_ Yacker's eye was spinning around until he shook it off, _"Imagine what you could do with colored wisp energy!"_

"That's incredible!" Sonic's face fell, "But being able to run faster won't get me off this planet..."

_"That's not a big deal!"_ Yacker leaned on Sonic's head, _"What? Did you really think hyper-go-ons are only used for going faster?"_

Sonic's eyes widened, and he flicked his ear as he turned to face the small alien.

"So?" he said, "What else can it do?"

***

Tails paced back and forth in the living room of Eggman's base. The rest of the team, aside from Shadow, were there as well, though none of them felt like celebrating their victory.

Amy was biting her nails, her thick gloves discarded on the floor, "Tails, I'm sure he's okay."

"Yeah, but we don't know for sure." Tails kicked a pillow on the ground, "I'm just worried is all."

He stared into the depths of his yellow emerald, at a loss for what to do.

"Maybe we should go get Shadow, at least." Tails put the emerald away, "Sonic has already been gone so long, and I don't think-!"

A siren broke out in the building, and every door was bolted shut.

"Huh!?" Knuckles banged on the door, shouting over the noise, "Hey! What gives!?"

Eggman's voice came over the loudspeaker, _"This is a code red! Lyric found us!"_

"What!?" Silver teleported beyond the door, then he came back, "Guys, Lyric is here! Right now!"

The sound of grinding metal could be heard outside. A side door opened up in the room, and everyone escaped through it. Tails pulled out his Electric to cross-reference with the floor plan.

"This way!" Tails emerged from the base to the outside, everyone else close behind, "If we hurry, we might just be able to get out before-!"

He tripped on a cord that wrapped around his ankle and lifted him into the air. The same happened to the others, and they were left dangling by their arms and legs, except for Silver, who flew up to remain upright.

"Hey!" Amy swung her hammer, "Let us go! What's the meaning of this!?"

"You pests are impossible to find!"

Lyric appeared on top of the glacier, surrounded by his robotic minions.

Tails' breath caught in his throat. He tried to spin his tails to get himself up, but his extremities were already going numb.

"Where's Sonar?" Lyric slithered towards them, "Could he just not be bothered? Why does that not surprise me..."

Amy threw her hammer at the thing holding her in the air, "Tails?"

Tails couldn't breathe. He was trapped. He was upside-down. He was in the presence of Lyric.

"Aw, what's the matter, fox?" Lyric commanded his robot to bring the child closer to him, "Am I too intimidating for you?"

"Tails!" Amy struggled to break free, "Let him go, you stupid snake!"

"I WILL TEAR YOU APART!" Knuckles swung his arms in an attempt to get out, "GET AWAY FROM HIM BEFORE I POUND YOU!"

Silver tried to use his powers to get Tails away from Lyric, but all it did was give him a headache. Blaze tried to use her fire too, but it was blocked as well.

"Honestly. You all think I would fall for something so predictable?" Lyric shook his head, "You are all idiots."

They racked their brains for anything they could do, but they were stuck. It all seemed hopeless at first, until something could be heard in the background...

"LASER!"

A blur of cyan light cut through Lyric's suit, and everyone was freed. Amy immediately jumped as soon as she hit the ground, bashing Lyric with her hammer until he was lying on the ground.

Sonic landed on the ground, the cyan wisp leaving his chest, "Aw, yeah! This is happening!"

_"Sonic..."_ Tails ran into him, "Are you okay? You disappeared and we couldn't find you!"

"Sorry about that, Buddy." Sonic pat his head, "Now let's get that-!"

Amy fell forward when her target disappeared. Lyric had teleported away.

"Goddammit!" Knuckles knocked his fists together, "Where did he go!? I'll kill him for what he did!"

Tails swallowed, "S-Sonic...he..."

A pulse from the Master Emerald hit Sonic in that moment, and he took a step back.

"He took your emeralds..."

Tails stared at the ground, tears gathering in his eyes, _"I'm sorry..."_

"Hey, it's okay."

"What?" Amy tried to retrieve her emerald, but it wasn't on her, "He got all of them?"

Knuckles tugged on Sonic's shoulder, "Sonic, we gotta go after him!"

"But where did he go?" Sonic held Tails close to him, "Yacker, can you see if he's anywhere nearby?"

His band of alien allies appeared before him, _"Sure thing!"_

Once they were gone, Sonic knelt down to look Tails in the eye, "Hey, Buddy. It wasn't your fault, okay?"

_"But I just completely froze up. I couldn't move."_

"I know, but you didn't give the emeralds to him." Sonic took his shoulders, "He scared you on purpose. It's _his_ fault, not yours."

Tails nodded, "I know, but it still hurts."

"I know it does. I'm sorry."

Yacker reappeared, _"Sorry, Sonic. He's gone."_

Sonic stood up, "Then let's focus on recuperating."

Tails followed him back into the building, "Okay, but Sonic, why were you gone for so long?"

"Huh?" Sonic paused at the doorway, "I wasn't gone that long, was I?"

The others stared at him.

"Sonic..." Tails lifted his hand, then he dropped it, "It's October."

"IT'S OCTOBER!?" Sonic ran through the base, only to find it on lockdown. He came back before the others had moved, "Wait, how!? Was I just wandering through space in all that time!? I swear it hasn't been that long! You're not joking, are you!?"

Nobody offered an explanation.

"Hedgehog." Eggman shut the door behind him as he left, Metal, Orbot, and Cubot following close behind, "It's time to leave. This location has been compromised. How long were you planning to make us wait?"

"I didn't mean..." Sonic twisted his hands together, "I wasn't trying to..."

They had already been suspecting that he would never come back. What if he had died out there? How had he survived as long as he had anyway? Did Chaos save him? Was it pure chance?

He could have abandoned them, and they would never know why.

Sonic shoved the thought from his head before it could take root, "Wait, guys...tell me it worked. Tell me that Black Doom..."

Eggman led all of them away, climbing into a large spacecraft to leave forever, but Tails took Sonic's hand, and he smiled, and he said one word that made Sonic's heart soar with relief.

"Dead."

***


	38. Chapter 38

**October - Year 3**

He wasn't kidding. Tails gestured to Eclipse' body in Talesh's temple, laid down, his eyes closed as if he was merely asleep. Sonic could see the long scratches across his face that he remembered making with his claws. He was also in his smaller hedgehog form, so that talk of the demon being his true form must have been a bluff.

"Oh my god..." Shadow had been freed from his capsule, and he'd been shaking ever since, "It's true...he's dead...he's finally dead..."

"Aw, don't cry on us, hun." Rouge roughed up his quills, "So how do you feel?"

"Light." he said, staring into his hands, "This is the lightest I've felt in a long time. He's dead, but I'm not, and...I don't know. I haven't been in this little pain since the day I was created."

"That's good to hear, Shads." Sonic took his emerald out, calling for the guardian of the temple, "Why haven't you taken the body here before now?"

Tails shrugged, "At first it was because we couldn't find it, but even after we did, we kinda wanted you to be here for this."

"Huh?" Sonic lowered the glowing gem, "Why?"

"Eclipse!" Talesh had appeared, but he disappeared soon after to bring the other ancients, "Everyone! Look!"

"Eclipse!?" Annie dropped to her knees to cradle Eclipse' head in her lap, "Brother..."

She closed her eyes, a few tears falling down her face. Sonic knelt down across from her, watching the demon they had hunted down so fiercely.

"Annie..." he waited until he had the ancient's attention, "When I was in space, I saw something. I swear it was a memory of Sonar's. He was talking to Eclipse, and they were being so nice to each other."

"Of course they were." Annie stroked Eclipse' quills, "They were brothers. The violence that you saw is extremely abnormal for him."

"That was my question, actually." Sonic crossed his arms, "If Eclipse is normally good, then what happened to him?"

"I have no idea." Annie looked up as Talesh and Shoulders sat on either side of her, _"Something_ must have happened. I suppose we'll never know now, will we?"

"Maybe he kept a record." Talesh stood up to address Ember and Platinum, "You two go check your ruins. I'll look around Eclipse' temple. Shoulders, you still keep records in your tribe, don't you?"

"Not much of a tribe with only one member." Shoulders dusted himself off, "I will go look, though."

Once the four of them had disappeared, Annie was the last one, still holding the body of her long-dead brother.

"Goodbye, Eclipse." she covered his eyes with one hand, "I'm sorry it had to be this way."

Shadow rolled his eyes, "Don't humor him. He made my life a living hell, you know that?"

"Of course, child." Annie lifted the body in her arms, "You did the right thing, but I will never forget when he was my brother."

Sonic stood up, backing away until he was at the entrance to the room, "We can leave you alone, if you want."

"That won't be necessary. I'll just take him with me." Annie held Eclipse' head in the crook of her shoulder, "Oh, and...I'm sorry we weren't there to help you this time. It was so sudden, and we were incapacitated..."

"No worries." Sonic waved at her, "But...please tell me you'll be there when we fight Lyric."

"Of course." Annie glowed before she vanished, taking the body with her, "Take care."

"Okay..." Sonic nudged Shadow, "Hey, you still have something to do, right?"

"Huh? Oh! Of course!" Shadow took his black emerald out, "I'll go look for him. You guys head for the new base."

Black Doom was gone, the Crown of Darkness was safe, Gaia was restored, now they just needed to get rid of Mephiles and Lyric.

Yeah, it was easier said than done, but they were already more than halfway there.

***

**March - Year 4**

Sonic was ecstatic! He was almost four feet tall! Impressive considering Aleena's three feet and six inches, and his other mom was even shorter, at three feet and two inches.

That wasn't important right now, though. He placed a finger to his lips, gesturing for Yacker to come closer before signing, _Remember to stay out of sight. I'll swing back around later to check your progress!_

Yacker nodded as he whispered, _"Okay. The fox is Tails, right?"_

_That's right._

_"Okay! I'll be there!"_

Once the wisps had cleared out, Sonic waited, then he tip-toed down the hall of Eggman's new facility until he reached the kitchen.

Just as he'd suspected, Amy was stirring something that bubbled on the stove. It smelled amazing, too. Chili? He liked the sound of that.

He carefully crouched, taking each step slow enough that his shoes didn't tap on the kitchen tile. He waited for her to leave the stove, then he snuck up on her and wrapped his arms around her torso.

"Gotcha!"

"AH!" Amy twisted in his grip to face him, "Hey!"

He began to laugh, "I totally got you!"

"Idiot!" she grabbed his ear, though she was smiling.

"HEY! _Not the ears!"_ Sonic lifted his hands, "I'm sorry! I surrender!"

"You'd better be sorry! What have I told you about startling me in the kitchen!?”

"Uhhh...to not do it?"

"Exactly!" She let go of his ear and pushed him away, "Now get out until the food is done!"

"Okay okay! I'm going!" Sonic looked back at her in the hallway. He was eighteen, right? He had just barely missed his birthday when he was shot into space. So if he was eighteen, that meant Amy was fifteen. That made sense, she was about as tall as he was when he was that age, so now that she wore two inch heels, she stood beside him at three feet and five inches, meaning he was taller than her by seven inches! He wasn't sure why he cared. Maybe he just liked feeling tall.

Sonic headed to the roof, where Shadow was sitting on the edge, leaning forward with his eyes closed.

"Hey, Shadow." Sonic sat beside him, "Still can't find it?"

He turned away from him, _"No..."_

"Don't worry. We'll find it." Sonic watched Tails run diagnostics on the wisps below, along with Knuckles, and... "Is that Cosmo?"

It sure looked like her; White petal dress with green trim, short bobbed hair, rose buds on her head. The last time they'd seen her, she was three, but of course, that was many years ago. She was eleven now, the same age as Tails.

Shadow scrutinized her, "I don't know. I've never met her before."

Sonic noticed that Shadow's belt and badge were missing, so he asked, "How are things with GUN?"

Shadow tapped his shoes together as he overlooked the new facility, still covered in ice, but again, unclear if it was the north or the south.

"I don't work there anymore. I, uh...I quit."

Sonic looked up at him, "You quit? Why?"

"Because I can't handle it anymore." Shadow scratched his cheek, "I know Maria wanted me to protect humanity, but I just can't take all that violence. I'm sick of violence. I just want to, I don't know, open up a flower shop somewhere. Something peaceful, you know?"

Sonic smiled at the image of Shadow contentedly watering flowers, "Yeah. I understand. I'm ready for the fighting to be over, too."

"I'm still helping you kill Lyric, though. It would be my pleasure to squeeze that snake's head until his eyes pop out of his skull!"

"Thanks for the mental image, Shads." Sonic shook his head, "So wait, do you like violence or not?"

"I don't like being under constant fire, but I do feel that violence is often necessary, and if no one else is willing to inflict it on someone, then I'm happy to fill that role."

"Um...well..." Sonic stood up to stretch his arms high in the air, "That makes two of us, I guess. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Stay safe."

"You too."

He was about to head straight for his favorite napping spot at the moment, but he was distracted by a distant light at the end of the hall. Curious, he followed the light and found it was coming from a computer screen. The desk had a blurry photo on it, and when Sonic inspected it, he was hit with a familiarity so fierce, it made him recoil like he'd taken a punch to the gut.

_"Ugh!"_ he dropped the photo, falling to his knees and holding his head in his hands. Something flickered across his eyes, and when it came into focus, there was no doubt in his mind.

These memories were his own.

_"Help!" the young voice cried out as he crawled on his hands and knees, trying to keep the blood from escaping his body, "Somebody help me! Help! Please! Anyone!"_

_A flashlight fell overtop of him, and a woman could be seen through the heavy rain._

_"Oh dear!" she gestured to another woman, standing next to her, "There's a child out here! We have to get him inside!"_

_"Where did a child come from!?" the second woman knelt in front of him, "Hey there, kiddo. What's your name?"_

_The child sniffed, feeling woozy from the fall and the blood loss, "I-I'm...Son-Sonic..."_

_"Sonic?" the woman had purple quills that turned up in the back, with a streak of blonde bangs, "Aleena! He's injured!"_

_"He is!?" Aleena set the flashlight down, "I'll heal him! You get the bandages!"_

_Sonic was surrounded by a warm light, and it took his pain away. He leaned into the touch. These women were much nicer than that big man._

_"Got 'em, Bernie?"_

_"Yes, right here." Bernie cleaned up the wound and wrapped it tightly._

_Aleena lifted Sonic into her arms, where he was quickly falling asleep, "Let's take him inside. Sonic, where are your parents?"_

_"What are parents?"_

_It was asked so innocently. Aleena tried to smile, "You know, the people who take care of you. Where were you before this?"_

_"Oh, well, that fat man was taking care of me, but he kept shocking me. I must have upset him somehow, but he wouldn't tell me what I did."_

_He cocked his head curiously when the two women stared at each other in horror._

_"You did nothing wrong, Sonic." Bernie wrapped an arm around him, "That man was just bad. Don't think about him anymore. We'll be your parents from now on, okay?"_

_"Bernie, are you sure we can take care of a child?"_

_"Well, someone has to! I'm not letting you say no in any case! We wanted to have kids in the future anyway, remember?"_

_"Right. Yeah." Aleena brushed her nose against Bernie's, "I know that tone. You'll make it work."_

_"You know I always do! Now let's get out of this rain."_

"Sonic?"

Sonic's arms fell to his sides as he stared at the floor. How long had he been sitting there? The red glow of sunset was casting long shadows across the floor. The amount of time he'd simply stayed there and lived through all these old memories...it could have been hours, but it also could have been much longer.

Sonic turned his head, "Ivo?"

"Who told you my first name? What's the meaning of this!?" Eggman took the photo that had fallen, "Why are you in here at-!?"

He cut himself off. Sonic looked up, and Eggman's eyes were obscured by his glasses, which reflected the sunlight outside.

He opened his mouth, _"Oh..."_

Sonic used the desk to force himself to stand. A wheezing noise escaped him, his elbows digging into the metal of the desk. His shoulders were shaking. The sound continued. He could barely hold himself up on his trembling legs, but he kept holding on to the desktop until he was upright.

It was then when Eggman registered the sound Sonic was making. He wasn't wheezing or crying or anything similar, no...

Sonic was _laughing._

_"Hahahahahaha..."_ he threw his head back, "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Finally he quieted, facing Eggman with a crazed smile.

"So that's how it is, huh!?" he kept giggling between his words, "You came for me, did you!? Is this some kind of simulation!? Am I in stasis!? Have you fucked up my memories!? Have you been tampering with my head!? Tell me, Ivo! Tell me where this came from! TELL ME WHY YOU WERE EXPERIMENTING ON A GODDAMN CHILD FOR GOD'S SAKE!!!"

Eggman wouldn't answer until Sonic had calmed down, every shake and shiver devolving into quiet sobs. His frame felt weak and heavy. He finally fell until his forehead rested on the desk, his knees supporting him from below, and with both hands on either side of him.

He was still and quiet, "Sonic?"

"Huh?" Sonic shakily collapsed, "Ow!"

"Here." Eggman offered his hand, and Sonic took it to help him stand up, "You might want to sit down."

"Good idea." Sonic looked around, then he sat down on one of the crates nearby. He placed his hands on the crate between his knees for stability, his eyes going to the frayed edges on his old gloves.

"So..." Eggman sat in the desk chair, "You probably have a lot of questions for me."

"No shit, Eggface. What tipped you off?"

_"Sonic."_

"Fine, fine. I'm listening."

Eggman stared at the photo again, "I knew I should've thrown this out."

It was a simple photo, honestly. In it was a small run-down cottage in a field of dead grass, but Sonic now knew it as the house he'd lived in with his moms after he escaped from Eggman's facility.

"Well, the thing is..." Eggman threw the photo in the desk drawer, "If I _had_ been tampering with your memories, that would actually be simpler than the true explanation. You see, I was inspired to create my own ultimate lifeform after seeing the notes my grandfather left behind. I got together some Chaos energy, and after many years of honing my skill and pushing my luck, I finally had it! The perfect artificial hedgehog!"

Sonic was growing numb again. He flexed his fingers out in front of him, "And that artificial hedgehog..." he pointed to himself as he looked down, unfocused, _"...was..."_

"You." Eggman turned the computer screen off, resting his folded hands in front of his nose, "I didn't want anything to go wrong, so I made sure you had enough Chaos energy to keep your strength as you grew, which is why I had to perform regular experiments on you to test your resilience and your power. However, one day when you were eight years old, you just escaped, and four days later, I was arrested, both for child abuse and for attempting to take over the world. I had plenty of time to think in prison."

Sonic's throat was closing up. He tried to talk, but no sound came out. Tears fell from his face, landing on the communicator screen around his wrist, and soaking into his gloves.

"After I got out, I got the emeralds again, but this time, I used them to go back in time to before I created you. Learning from my previous mistakes, I was able to finally have what I want! Those women who reported me were captured, and I didn't have to worry about you! It was fun seeing you again until you beat me, but let's not focus on that part!"

"How did you know I would be here?" Sonic cursed his voice for wavering so much, "You said I wasn't born yet..."

"Yes, but sometimes the same people come back through different circumstances. Trust me, I went back _many_ times to avoid you stopping me! Something weird is in charge of who exists, regardless of what timeline you're in. I mean, _come on!_ Your parents just went to Chaos when they couldn't have their own kids! How could I have predicted that!?"

Sonic couldn't believe what he was hearing. Eggman was technically his father!

"But...but didn't you need a base!? Like, regular hedgehog cells!? You must have had that first!"

"I can see why you'd think that. After all, Shadow was made of preexisting cells." Eggman glared out the window, "But I was able to improve upon my grandfather's failings. I just put some organic compounds in a petri dish and used raw Chaos energy and my own machinery to shape it. I had blueprints of course, an entire plan for how you would function, but I figured you don't want to hear the whole process. It's very complicated."

Sonic hiked his feet up on the crate so he could hug his knees, "But...you can't do that...it's just not possible..."

He was grasping at straws, and he knew it.

"Well, you weren't created in this universe. You have actual parents this time, so you don't need to worry about that." Eggman stood up to close the blinds, "You also don't need to worry about me going back _again._ For whatever reason, the emeralds won't let me anymore. Maybe I accidentally stumbled across the timeline where the emeralds can't do that? I don't know, and I'm not going to question it. It's already so confusing as is."

Sonic placed each foot on the ground, then he stood up.

"Plus, it literally took me thousands of tries to get it just right! I swear it made me age faster! It's just not a viable solution to any problem. It's amazing you remember at all! It must be your connection to Chaos and-!"

"Robotnik."

He stopped rambling, looking down at Sonic, who had hidden his expression from view. When he tried to speak again, Sonic lifted his hand, stopping him.

He walked down the hall, dragging his feet as he went, until he found the barracks.

The door closing echoed with a sense of finality.

***


	39. Chapter 39

**May - Year 4**

Sonic hadn't been sleeping well. He kept getting that tight knot in his stomach, brought on by so many memories of being an artificial hedgehog; A copy of Shadow. He didn't even have a sense of his own identity anymore. Is this why Shadow had a hard time figuring himself out? Because he was... _fake?_

He buried his face in his pillow, _Pull yourself together, hedgehog! You're real! Eggman said so! Your parents are Aleena the Hedgehog and Bernadette Hedgehog! You have an Uncle Chuck, too! Charles the Hedgehog! Your name is Sonic the Hedgehog! You are a hero and a friend and people don't care how fake or real you are!_

It didn't get rid of the feeling though. He turned his head to stare at the wall. What was this feeling? It was like...like he didn't belong to himself...like he was created to serve another's purpose. He had a kind of emptiness in his heart, like he didn't fit in this world. He wanted to run away, but where to? He had nowhere to go.

Seeing the sun was his cue to get up, so he continued his numb thoughts as his body ran on autopilot. He was only shaken from his stupor when he was on the couch, in his usual spot.

_"Sonic?"_

It was Yacker. He was flying around his head, twisting his body back and forth trying to figure him out.

Sonic smiled, though he knew it would be fake, "What's up, little guy?"

_"Are you okay? I mean, I needed help with something, but if you're too tired-!"_

"What?" Sonic suddenly switched gears as he stood, now on high-alert, "Is everything alright?"

_"I don't know, but nobody else could figure out what I was saying. Can you follow me?"_

"Of course."

Yacker led him down a staircase that was hidden behind a wall panel. Descending made a burst of cold air wash over them, and as they went further, a loud, rhythmic clanking sound could be heard.

It got louder.

And louder.

_"Here."_ Yacker ducked behind the railing overlooking a massive machine, _"Look."_

Sonic crouched so he was more hidden, and his jaw dropped.

Eggman had created a machine that was sucking the power out of the wisps. They went in all colorful and scared, and they came out black and purple. It made his stomach turn.

_"They're trapped! The nosehair guy is stealing their hyper-go-ons!"_ Yacker was speaking in a hushed whisper, though he didn't need to with the noise of the machine, _"You have to get them out!"_

Sonic's chest was aflame with that righteous anger he was so familiar with. It was strong this time, too. How dare that fat scientist go behind their backs after an alien race for their power, and for what? To rule the world? To quickly dispose of those he disliked? Was he going to turn on them the second Lyric was out of the picture? And why steal their power so viciously? They were so friendly, and they already trusted Sonic! There was no need for this!

He stood up, dashing out of there as fast as he could, "Okay, Yacker, we're going to find that idiot and we're going to pummel him for making your-!"

Eggman.

He was going to fight Eggman.

He skidded to a halt in the hallway. Could he really do that? Well, of course he could. He had in every other circumstance, even in every other parallel universe...

But...

"No, no..." Sonic smacked his cheeks, "Come on, this changes nothing...I'm going to Eggman, and I'm going to make him pay..."

If he knew that, then why was he so scared?

_"Sonic?"_ Yacker flew around him, _"Sonic, what's wrong?"_

"Nothing." Sonic shook his head, trying to dispel the thoughts he couldn't connect to each other, "Let's go get the others."

He found his friends on the glacier outside. Knuckles was sparring with Silver, using nothing but their gloved fists, while others spectated, or talked amongst themselves. Silver had improved a lot since he started practicing, and how perfect it was that they were already in the mood for a fight.

"Guys!" Sonic punched his open palm once he had their attention, "Who wants to help me beat up Eggface!?"

"Why?" Knuckles cracked his joints, "What did he do this time?"

Sonic gestured back towards Yacker, "Eggman has these aliens in a machine that's stealing their hyper-go-ons!"

"He does!?" Tails ran an algorithm on his device, "Wait, how!?"

"Who cares how he did it!? We have to stop him! Come on!"

They scoured the base from top to bottom, and Sonic felt a sinking feeling whenever he thought the scientist had been found, but Eggman was gone. There was no trace of him in the entire building, as if he had packed up and left. Sonic showed them the machine on the bottom floor though, and all of them had the same reaction as he had.

"Well, we can stop this machine, can't we?" Silver was already scoping it out with his powers, "There's gotta be an off switch on this thing somewhere..."

"We'll have to be careful with it." Tails was staring intently at his Electric, "It's connected to the foundation, so we don't want it to explode! If there's no off-switch, I might have to hack it remotely."

"If only we could just smash it!" Sonic surveyed the ground before dropping down, "If we destroy its reserves, will the hyper-go-ons go back to the aliens!?"

"Yes, but don't do it yet!" Tails flew over him, "It's not very stable like this. We need to cut off its power supply first."

_"I'm not letting you do that!"_

Sonic felt a bead of sweat on his forehead, "Eggman!"

Eggman had appeared in a flying mech, in an open space behind the machine. It radiated with dark power, making Sonic's anger surge again, but his feet were frozen on the spot. Half of him was screaming to kick Eggman's sorry ass and make him regret the day he was even born, but the other half of him wanted to run and hide. Seeing Eggman again was like a bucket of ice water being dumped over his head. There were just too many memories...memories of being strapped down and electrocuted, trapped in a mind too young to understand, being restrained and thrown around no matter how much he fought back. It didn't matter that he'd won all of his fights with Eggman since he'd ever known him, in this timeline, and in almost every other timeline for that matter, but that one...the first one...

His heart pounded uncomfortably against his ribcage. A headache pounded on the back of his eyes. His tight fists were shaking.

Luckily, nobody seemed to have noticed his internal conflict. His friends were already winning against Eggman. Tails flew around like a bee, periodically throwing sticky bombs. Silver had thrown a bunch of glowing darts into the machine, made from sharpening Blaze's fire into blades. Knuckles had knocked out everything he could reach from the ground, with Amy on his shoulders.

"Sonic?"

Well, one person noticed.

Shadow had separated himself from the fight, his hands hovering over Sonic's frame like he feared his touch might burn him. His expression was stern, but he let compassion bleed through as well.

Sonic tried to speak, but no sound came out, so he signed instead, _You wanted to tell me. I was right, I didn't want to know._

Shadow glanced behind him at the fight, which was quickly drawing to a close, "You found out that Eggman..."

He trailed off. Sonic nodded.

Shadow took his arm, "Follow me. They have this under control anyway, and I could use your help with something."

Sonic forced air in and out of his lungs, breathlessly asking, _"What did you have in mind?"_

"You still have your emerald, right?" Shadow procured his own once they had made it back to the balcony, "Let's put it to use."

Still holding Sonic's arm, he said, "Chaos Control!"

***

Sonic was restless as he waited for the cue from Shadow. He hated how relieved he was to be out of Eggman's base, but he forced himself to focus, hopping in place to keep his blood pressure up and to keep his mind from wandering.

A flash in the darkness. That was it. He took off as soon as he saw it.

Every checkpoint along Soleanna had a scratching of a drawing at each one, identifying where Shadow had found a piece of the monster. It was a red star in marker, on a sign post, a fence, a brick wall, and Sonic made note of each one. Using his emerald, the way Shadow had shown him, he created a web of interlocking, invisible rope. Each step, one by one, he memorized the placement of his net, until he joined Shadow in the town square of Venice.

He acknowledged him with a nod, “You got all of them?”

“Yeah.” Sonic took both blue and black emeralds, “Sixteen, right?”

“That’s right.” Shadow had the scepter of darkness in one hand, his other outstretched to him, not necessarily in welcoming, but as a simple gesture of comradery, “Now remember, you have to be ready the second after I say its name. We can’t afford to let it go again. So...are you ready?”

Sonic took a shaky breath. He knew what he was doing, but he couldn’t help the fluttery feeling in his chest, like he was light-headed, “Yes, I’m ready.”

Shadow dropped his hand, “Good. Don’t relax even if we catch it. I promise, until it is fully sealed, we are not safe.”

Shadow turned away, scepter at the ready, and Sonic struggled to hold still.

Demons always come when they are called. That’s what Elise had said. If you so much as breathed its name, it would come running. So Sonic strained his ears, hoping he wouldn’t miss it if Shadow’s voice was too quiet.

Shadow took a steadying breath before he uttered the word.

_“Mephiles.”_

The reaction was immediate. The temperature dropped, and both of them felt an icy mist over them, like a wild animal breathing down their necks.

Sonic forced his arms to move, "Chaos Trap!" his net snapped shut, forcing the monster out of the air and into one spot in front of Shadow. It corporealized, crystalizing until the light reflected off him in harsh white light. The smoke that surrounded him blended into the darkness. Sonic was shivering, but he refused to let it go.

Shadow took over, holding the scepter between it and them. He twisted it until it clicked, and Mephiles was sucked inside. The air was so harsh around him that ice clung to his fur, and tears stung his eyes, blurring his vision. Sonic still didn't let go.

"God, this thing is stubborn!" Shadow's fingers were numb, but it didn't deter him, "Sonic, we might need to fight him after all. If you start feeling any pain, drop the emeralds!"

Sonic gulped, "What kind of-!?"

Something stole his breath, and the cold and aching numbness intensified. He opened his mouth, but no air entered his lungs. His muscles were aching. His head felt heavy. It seeped into his eyes and filled his consciousness with a buzzing static. He considered dropping the emeralds right then and there, but before he could finish that thought, a piercing pain exploded in his eyesockets, like he'd been stabbed with a sewing needle.

"AGH!" Sonic dropped the emeralds to hold his face, but as soon as he let go, the numbness and the static and the pain was gone.

"Shit!" Shadow dropped the scepter as it crumbled.

**"You idiots."** Mephiles appeared before them as a hedgehog, but with a body made out of crystals, **"Did you really think such a simplistic tool could trap me twice?"**

"Sonic, be careful!" Shadow held an arm out in front of him.

Sonic retrieved the emeralds, "Here!" he handed the black one to Shadow, "I know we can't do much with just two, but we could still use them!"

**"Don't bother. Those gems are pretty centerpieces, nothing more."**

Sonic crossed his arm over Shadow's, "Ready?"

Shadow nodded, "Chaos-!"

"Control!"

Time slowed for a moment. Sonic zipped behind Mephiles, hoping his kick didn't just go through empty smoke, but it connected just fine, so that meant Sonic was successful in forcing him to become solid.

Shadow held his hands out to him, and he took them as time returned to normal. They spun around each other until they became a pinwheel of spikes, and they fell out of the air to cut through Mephiles' form.

"Chaos Spear!"

Shadow landed on his feet, a group of spears appearing in his hands. He threw them one after another while Sonic ran around Mephiles, keeping him in their circle of Chaos power.

"Now...let's try this again..." a red ring formed on the ground around Shadow's feet, "But this time... _you're going in..."_

**"We'll see about that..."**

Shadow dodged Mephiles' slow attack, but the second one hit him dead-on. He froze in place, his face contorted into a look of shocked horror until nearly five seconds later when he escaped, his skin prickling with goosebumps.

"Shadow?" Sonic fell into a roll, coming to a stop beside him, "Are you okay?"

"Yes yes, fine." Shadow shook himself off, _"Focus, hedgehog!"_

Sonic pushed him out of Mephiles' hit radius, "You go back around! I have an idea!"

Sonic held his emerald in his hand, _Chaos, if you're listening to this, I need to borrow more power! Please!_ He jumped into the air, the emerald disappearing into his chest and giving him a boost of power.

_One, two, three, four-!_

He was about to attack, but Mephiles had frozen him in the air.

_Louder._

Sonic's teeth chattered. He begged his limbs to obey him and break free, but he was stuck.

_Stop. Please._

Sonic was split between different realities, different memories...one where he was Lyric's test subject, one where he was left alone on Christmas Island, one where Tails was turned into a robot, one where he was created as the true ultimate lifeform, one where he was never born at all, one where he died in space...they all blurred together until he wasn't sure what was real and what was fake. Where was he? What had he been doing?

Suddenly, warmth entered his heart, and the spell was broken.

_"Now's your chance! Get him!"_

Sonic blinked, still unable to see clearly, "Yacker?"

_"Tang! Help him!"_

Another wisp went inside his chest, and orange light surrounded him.

A voice filtered through, **"What? Why is-!?"**

Sonic grinned, opening his mouth to shout-!

"ROCKET!"

He shot into the air, and the scene unfolded around him. Shadow jumped back as the square was filled with wisps. Mephiles tried to attack them, but they were too slippery. A few figures were visible along the sidewall, including the other Wielders, Eggman, and Cosmo!

"Whoa!" Sonic caught the wisp that Cosmo threw at him; A blue cube wisp.

She smiled the biggest smile he'd ever seen, "Go get him, Sonic!"

"Thank you!" Sonic shot her a wink and a thumbs-up before absorbing the wisp, "CUBE!"

He hit the ground, knocking the demon back, and blue cubes appeared around him. He hopped up on each one until he had a clear shot, then Cosmo threw more wisps at him as needed.

"SPIKES!" "HOVER!" "BURST!" "DRILL!" The hyper-go-on energy was protecting him from Mephiles' icy magic, keeping him warm and toasty all the way to the tips of his ears and toes. Even when he wasn't using a color power, the white wisps were keeping a barrier up between him and the black and purple crystalline smoke.

Finally, Mephiles lay on the ground, lost and out of breath.

"Whew!" the wisps left him, "That was quite a workout! You sure you guys can't stick around?"

"Sonic!"

Amy barrelled into him, knocking him clean off his feet, "You scared me to death you idiot! Don't ever do that again!"

Sonic held onto her as she helped him stand up, "Sorry, Ames."

"That's all you can manage?" Tails landed beside him, "You disappeared and we couldn't find you! I don't understand! You _love_ fighting Eggman. Why did you leave so suddenly?"

And just like that, gravity set in, and Sonic leaned on Amy to prevent himself from collapsing.

"Sonic?" she placed a hand on his cheek, "Are you okay?"

Eggman left his mech. His shoes tapping on the stone was too loud.

"Uh, listen Sonic the Hedgehog...I let your little friends go. I thought we could use them in the fight against Lyric, but uh...you were right. I'm not good at endearing people to me. But don't think this changes anything! We are still sworn enemies, and I will not..."

He trailed off when Sonic turned away, staring at the ground.

"Not...uh..."

He sighed, giving up as he crossed his arms.

"There." Shadow held the restored scepter, "And this time, I will _not_ drop you."

He stood between the Wielders and Eggman, understanding crossing his features until he turned away. Before he left though, he paused.

"Sonic, I know what you're feeling." Shadow didn't turn around, but his voice carried just fine, "I felt it myself for a time, but I just want you to know that no matter where you came from or who you're related to, you're the only one who can decide who you are. That is your choice to make, and nobody else's."

The silence hung for a minute before he continued.

"Maria once told me that our past, our thoughts, do not define us. Only our actions do, and based on the actions you've carried out thus far, I'd say you have nothing to worry about." he began to walk away, "I have to deliver this to its new home. I'll see you back at base."

Sonic had one hand on Amy's shoulder, the other at his side as a fist. When Shadow was gone, Amy gently took Sonic's chin and turned his head to meet her gaze.

"Sonic..." she stood up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, "Can you tell us what that was all about?"

The gesture calmed him somewhat. He looked up at Eggman, who was awkwardly shuffling his feet. He looked at Tails and Cosmo, then at Knuckles, then at Silver, then at Blaze.

He was quiet for a moment longer, until Shadow’s words sunk in, and he smiled.

“Nah. It was just a slip-up. Shadow’s right, I shouldn’t let it bother me.”

The wisps surrounded him, and he watched as they still gazed at him in concern.

“Seriously, guys. I’m fine now.” Sonic stood up straight to prove it, “I’ll tell you all about it later. For now though, let’s head home.”

Almost there.

As soon as he was back at base, he connected his phone to Eggman's VPN, and dialed a number he now knew by heart.

"Hey, Mom. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

***


	40. Chapter 40

**June - Year 5**

It was easy, he thought. Run from place to place, clean up Lyric’s mess, use his various acquired powers, teach his friends how to utilize said powers, nothing could be easier.

But Lyric himself was nowhere to be found.

It made everything worse. He’d gone home many times, he’d travelled to Station Square, Empire City, Holoska, Chun-Nan, Spagonia...but nobody had gotten any news on the snake in a long time.

Why? Sonic checked his calendar again. Why stay hidden for so long? The longer they went with no news, the worse that feeling of paranoia crept up on him. He wasn’t the only one either, all of them were becoming increasingly on-edge. He must be planning something, but what could it be? Sonic tried everything to just find the damn snake, including Chaos Location with the other emeralds, asking the ancients to look for him, using Eggman’s tech to scope out space, manually searching through miles and miles of land...unless the evil ancient had found himself a base at the bottom of the mariana trench, he had completely and utterly vanished without a trace.

Pretty soon, it had been over a year since they’d last heard from him, and every day was just getting worse.

_“God, help me...”_ Sonic handed his rings to the register in the supermarket, looking over his shoulder every ten seconds just to make sure nothing was there. He vaguely recalled the cashier trying to make light conversation, but he didn’t hear exactly what he said. Every sound, every footstep, every crinkle of a plastic bag, every clink of glass containers was magnified in his paranoia. He quickly gathered his bags to leave, fully prepared to book it as soon as he was in the parking lot.

“Hey!”

Sonic started, turning back to the cashier, “Huh? What?”

He huffed in annoyance, “I asked if you’re okay. You’re acting like you’re being hunted.”

Sonic’s ears drooped as he left.

He was itching to get home and ask if anyone had any news. This was his last errand, and he only had to teleport to get back. Tails had asked him not to teleport directly into the kitchen or the dining room, so he teleported to the launch pad on the roof before descending down the fire escape to get inside.

He set his bags on the floor in the kitchen, apathetically reaching for the lightswitch-!

“SURPRISE!”

Sonic jumped out of his skin, but then he began to laugh.

“Happy birthday, Sonic!” Tails punched his arm, “Sorry if we spooked you!”

“Dude! It’s June! It’s June twenty third!” Sonic accepted Amy’s hug, “I even looked at the calendar today, and I didn’t realize!”

“Yep!” Tails guided him to the counter, “We’ve all been so on-edge lately...I thought we should do something fun for once. Now, can you tell me how old you are?”

“How...” Sonic thought about it. Last year, he’d turned 19, right? Which meant that this year... _“Twenty?”_

“Whoa, dude! You’re not a teenager anymore!” Knuckles held him in a loose chokehold, “How does it feel to join the club?”

Sonic bit his lip, trying to force a smile, “It’s surreal, for sure.”

Tails noticed his apprehension, "Hey, Sonic. Let's not think about Lyric right now. Eggman and the wisps are scoping things out as we speak, so let's just relax for today, m'kay?"

Sonic exhaled, "Alright, Buddy. I'll try."

It wasn't long before he actually began to relax. It had been a long time since he'd tried to forget about Lyric, and being surrounded by bright party decorations and the smiling faces of his friends really put his mind at ease. Soon, he had lost that paranoid feeling he'd been holding onto for the past several months, and finally being freed from that was liberating, though he just realized how exhausted he was from countless sleepless nights where he was on high-alert, that toothless, dry and cracked grin playing on his eyelids behind the sight of Tails, weak and emaciated, pure terror in his sunken eyes...

_No no! Forget about Lyric!_ Sonic scolded himself, _You can worry about that later!_

Maybe that was the trick. Maybe Lyric just wanted to toy with them. Sonic wouldn't put it past him, the damn snake. Well, he figured in that case, enjoying their time without him would just be a middle finger to that plan. That was his mindset for the rest of the party.

The sun began to set, and Sonic lay on the roof on his back, a contented smile playing on his lips.

He wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep, but when he woke up, it was to a shrill, ringing noise. The emergency siren.

Sonic leapt to his feet, his heart in his throat as he made his way through the locked-down building, but to his horror, there was nobody there, and all the steel emergency doors had been drilled right through.

Lyric.

Sonic climbed into the first spacecraft he could get to in Eggman's garage, flying it right through the broken wall and into the sky. He was glad it was equipped with a locator, because finally, _finally,_ after so long, Lyric had appeared on the radar.

_He's looking for a fight._ Sonic's hands were sweaty beneath his gloves as he gripped the controls hard enough to turn his knuckles white, _Chaos, Gaia, Annie, anyone who might be listening, I need help. He has my friends. I don't know what to do except fight him head-on. I need everything I can get._

There was no response. His heart held no power from Chaos, no coolness from Chip, no energizing warmth from the wisps. His throat went dry, and he tried to swallow.

He was alone.

He landed in the empty street of Station Square, the one he'd first met Shadow in. The bitter nostalgia stung. He jumped out of the plane. He looked around, paranoia making the quills on his neck stand on end.

"Where are you, you rat!?" Sonic shouted, his voice echoing off the glass on the surrounding skyscrapers, "What have you done to my friends!? What happened to my city!? I'll make you pay for this!"

A spotlight landed on him, and he blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted.

"You were right, Robotnik..." that familiar voice rasped, "He came right to me..."

Sonic registered two things about the scene. One, all of his friends were being held in glass containers, all stuck together in a cluster like fish eggs. And two, a circle had expanded on the ground around him, locking him in place.

He relaxed, but not of his own volition.

"He-hey..." Sonic tried to shout, but he was feeling absurdly calm despite the actual circumstances, "What's going on, why...?"

Lyric laughed, a low sort of sound.

"You thought you were safe, Sonar? I didn't even have to take you. You came to me."

"Let my friends go." Sonic swayed on his feet as he struggled to remain upright, "Let them go or I'll..."

Lyric gestured for him to come forward, and the circle at Sonic's feet forced him to take step after step, until he was in the middle of mainstreet, on its four-way intersection.

"Sonic!"

The only voice he could hear. It was Elise. She was being restrained too, by her own circle.

"Let him go, you stupid snake!" she was shouting, "Give me my staff back or I'll kill you!"

"Oh, that won't be necessary." Lyric lifted one claw, "I've always wanted to do this..."

He drew a blade from a fancy scabbard. It looked to be a ceremonial sword of ancient design. The perfect, curved blade was made out of pure silver, and the hilt was made out of gold, decorated with amethysts and rubies.

A bone-chilling fear pierced Sonic through his ribcage, and he doubled down on his effort to break free. His other friends were shouting, doing everything they could to get out of their confinement, but the sound was muffled. The only voice he could hear clearly was Elise's.

"NO! LET HIM GO! PUT THAT SWORD AWAY! YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS HOSTING A PUBLIC EXECUTION I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DON'T-!"

Lyric ignored her as she continued shouting, lifting the blade to hold it above Sonic's head.

_I'm going to die._ The tears came before he could stop them, _I'm going to die here all alone on my twentieth birthday and nobody will be able to save me._

He had never felt so alone in his entire life.

"Ah, good riddance."

Lyric reeled back so the blade was twisted at his side.

_"Goodbye, Sonar."_

The last thing Sonic registered was sudden agony, unlike anything he'd ever felt before, and a crushing headache as he looked up at his own, decapitated body.

***

The silence was something they would never forget.

The blood had long since stopped gushing. The skin was perfectly pale, like a white sheet of paper. The stone was cracked, holding a hollowed-out, empty shell of a dead hero.

Elise was in shock.

_"Oh no..."_

Lyric finally let the circles dissolve, and Elise ran to him, staining her white dress with splatters of red.

_"Sonic...no..."_ her voice wavered, on the edge of collapse, _"You can't do this to me...you can't die now...what about all of us?"_

She stared into lifeless, glassy eyes, holding him close like he could wake up at any second.

_"Sonic...Sonic!"_

A fire erupted around her as the reality finally sunk in.

_"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"_

The rest of the team was freed in the next moment, but it didn't matter. The sky had turned red and black, fire surrounding them on all sides. Elise screamed with all the reckless abandon of a child who had just lost their parents, her eyes so drowned with tears that she was blinded to the world around her. She sobbed and sobbed, letting out every painful trauma she'd been collecting since she was seven years old. It was too much. The floodgates had opened, and she was powerless to stop it.

Finally, Elise stopped crying, her face crusted over with smeared mascara, blood, and dried tears.

It didn't matter. The monster was free.

Tails was the first to break the silence, his voice so soft it could barely be heard among the crackling flames.

_"What happened?"_

Amy fell to her knees, "This can't be happening. This can't be real."

Silver had both his eyes covered, "It's him. It's Iblis. He's finally free after all these years."

Blaze held him tightly, and he buried his face in her shoulder.

Knuckles took a shaking breath, "Lyric is so dead. Lyric is deader than dead. I'll beat him up until even his own mom would never recognize him. I'll kill him until even I pity the end result."

He was using anger to mask his grief. Nobody mentioned it, though.

Shadow seemed to be the calmest of the group, but that didn't mean he was happy, "This was his plan all along. He was just biding his time until he had enough power to do this. I should've known."

Cosmo placed her hand on Tails' shoulder, and he immediately grabbed her in a hug, softly crying into her dress.

"No, you couldn't have known." Elise had regained her poise, though it was clear the facade had cracks in it, "Lyric could have done anything to make me cry. Don't blame yourself."

All eyes went to her, except for Silver, who still couldn't look at the fire.

"Cry...?" Silver sniffed, "So, the reason your father told you to never cry...?"

"Is because of the monster, Iblis." Elise tried to wipe the mascara off her face, but all it did was smear it worse, and get it all over her hands, "Normally, the sitting monarch is told to never cry _after_ they take up the throne, but because both my parents are dead, and a regent can't fill the role of the crown of darkness, I was forced to be the bearer as the young crown princess instead. There was no other choice. I'm the last surviving member of the royal family."

Elise set Sonic's head above his severed neck, though it was far from seamless. She began to repair the damage, using her healing powers to restore the body, though she couldn't bring him back to life.

"Silver, the reason Iblis was unleashed on you is because my mother, the queen, died. My father was the sitting monarch, so he held Iblis inside of him, but the grief from losing my mother was so intense that he cried, and Iblis was free. You were a hero that day, you know."

Silver didn't react, though he was still listening.

"I wish we had a better system for keeping Solaris at bay." Elise finally drew back, and aside from the ashen complexion, Sonic's body was restored, "The reason we haven't destroyed him yet is because he has brought so much prosperity to our kingdom. In fact, 'Solaris' literally translates to, 'The flame of hope'. That is his purpose. It's just a shame he had to go off the rails."

"Elise." Silver finally plucked up the courage to look up at her, though he kept one hand on his companion, "Solaris is the ancient of destruction. He is complementary to Lyric's creation. You know that, don't you?"

Elise bit her lip, revealing lipstick-stained teeth.

"Of course I do." her eyes never left the corpse, "But remember that the world is never black and white. Solaris destroys, yes, but you wouldn't consider Lyric purely a creator, would you?"

Nobody had an answer for her.

Shadow looked into the sky, noting the way the fire spread so far that the end was not visible, "We can't defeat him now. At this point, even the Hyper Emeralds wouldn't be enough."

Everybody knew it, but nobody wanted to say it.

"Maybe we could have done it." Shadow gazed down at the fallen hero...

_"If only he were still alive."_

***


	41. Chapter 41

**June - Year 5**

A blanket of cool air supported him, like he was floating through an endless abyss. He was calm, at peace, but something was scratching at the back of his mind. Something wanted him to go back.

His eyes opened, and he was in a void of white clouds. He stood up, noting how light he felt. He flexed his hands, stretched his legs, but nothing popped. He felt no pain, and he carried a kind of peacefulness in his chest, like a warm glow.

"Sonic?"

His name. He looked up, and his eyes widened. The memories came flooding back.

The figure was familiar to him, though only vaguely, "You're..."

It was a red fox with thick eyebrows, a heavy tool belt, and sturdy mechanic's gloves and boots. He ruffled Sonic's quills with one hand, "I've been wanting to thank you for years! What you've done for my son cannot be repaid!"

Sonic gasped, "You're August Prower! Tails' dad!"

"At your service!" He turned to call in the other direction, "April! Look who it is!"

"Sonic the Hedgehog!?" A slightly more yellow-colored fox with a white blouse, blue skirt, and similar heavy boots to her husband, "It's an honor to finally meet you! We've seen what you've done for our Miles, and we are so grateful! There's nothing we can do to make it up to you!"

"Well..." Sonic blushed under all the praise, "Of course. Tails is my little bro."

April in turn called into the void, "Lily! Locke! Come see who it is!"

Lily emerged first. She was a tall pink hedgehog with quills long enough to brush the ground, and she wore a mint green maxi dress with tan-colored sandals, "Sonic. You aren't supposed to be here yet."

"They always die too young." Locke was a dark burgundy color with brighter red stripes, his dreadlocks in tight braids along his head which ended in a low ponytail. He was also a full head taller than the other three, with lots of muscle, "Still. I wouldn't give up on him just yet."

"You're..." Sonic scrutinized them, "You're Amy's mom, and Knuckles' dad."

"That's right, kiddo." Locke punched his chest, "And don't forget; We were heroes too."

"Wait..." Sonic got a knot in his stomach, though it didn't feel as bad as he was used to, "Am I...dead?"

Lily smiled at him, "I wouldn't say that. You are close though, close enough to speak with us, even."

"Wait a minute!" August doubled back into the void, "Bernie! You have to come see who's visiting!"

Visiting? How do you visit the afterlife? Sonic was still reeling with all the undue information, but he didn't have much time to dwell on it.

"Sonic!" Bernadette Hedgehog, still decked out in fighter's gear. She flashed him the biggest toothy smile, "Oh my gosh! My sweet baby!"

She pinched his cheeks, and he stepped back, "Mom! Hey, cut that out!"

"But just look at how much you've grown! You're so much taller than me!" she held him in a crushing hug, "You're such a handsome boy! I'm so proud of you!"

"Moooom!" he carefully pried her off of him, "Wait, should I call you Mom? I already call my other mom that."

"Well, Aleena used to call me 'Mother' when you triplets were born. It sounded too formal for my tastes at first, but after so long of her teasing me with it, I really think it's grown on me!"

"Whatever you say, _Mother."_ Sonic looked behind him, "But...if I'm not dead, then why am I here?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

Sonic felt a pang in his chest. That voice. He turned to the source of the sound, and tears welled up in his eyes.

He was light blue, with a bushy white moustache. His blue eyes had wrinkles around them. His green shoes were worn. His demeanor was soft.

Sonic sprinted towards him, "UNCLE CHUCK!"

Chuck spread his arms out and Sonic held onto him with all his might, "Sonic. It's so good to see you again."

"Uncle Chuck! I've missed you so much!" Sonic cried, "I can't believe it! It's you! It's really you!"

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to leave so suddenly." Chuck held him close, rocking back and forth, "I said I would be there for you, but I left you when you needed me the most. I'm so sorry."

"No, Chuck..." Sonic sniffled, pushing back to look his uncle in the eye, "It's not your fault. Metal _killed_ you."

"I know..." Chuck gave a wheezing laugh, "But I still can't help but blame myself. I've been wishing all this time that I could go back to you, but I just can't. All I can do is observe."

Sonic let his tears spill over, "I missed you."

"I know you did." Chuck wiped the tears away with his thumbs, "I missed you too. I missed you so much."

Sonic gazed back at the rest of the group, the silence heavy, but not uncomfortable.

"You've grown into a fine young man, my boy." Chuck held his hands in his own, "I am so proud of you."

Sonic smiled through his tears, "Thanks, Uncle Chuck. That means a lot coming from you."

"You're welcome."

After another moment or two, August approached the two of them, "Hey, Sonic. There's someone else you should meet."

Sonic blinked, "Really? Who?"

"You'll see." Locke urged him forward, "Trust me. I think you'll like him."

They didn’t have to walk far. The clouds thinned out, and another figure could be seen.

It was kind of surreal. Sonic always had a picture in his mind of what actually meeting this elusive ancient would be like. Of course, he had seen his drowned body washed up on shore, he had seen the world through his eyes in memories, but nothing compared to the ancient that stood before him.

Sonar.

He stood a few inches taller than Annie, his velvety red cloak fluttering in some invisible breeze. He was adorned in gold jewelry, including a thick necklace, bracelets, and earrings. His running shoes glittered with a leathery finish. He was a lighter blue color than Sonic, and his irises were red. Even though he seemed tired and hopeless, his smile reflected compassion, and he held the same regal presence as all the other ancients.

Sonic was calmed just looking at him.

“Sonar.” he said, “You’re Sonar.”

Sonar knelt down to offer a hug, “I’ve been dying to meet you, my child.”

Sonic accepted the hug, calm and quiet. A peaceful feeling seeped into him, and he couldn’t help but feel that everything would be alright.

“Get it?” Sonar pulled back, “Dying to meet you? Ha! I’ve still got it!”

Sonic stared blankly at him. Then he laughed.

“Oh man, for real?" Sonic backed away, "We have way too much in common for how related we actually are!"

"Yeah, well, maybe that's why Lyric keeps going after you." Sonar stood up and scratched his nose, "Honestly, I can't believe how naive I was back then. I was so sure that sealing Lyric away would stop his army, and then the thing with Gaia and Solaris... _even Eclipse..._ I have many regrets, even a thousand years after my death."

Sonic stared at the cloudlike ground at his feet.

"But nevermind that." Sonar took the edge of his cape in one hand, which showed signs of fraying, "I've been waiting for this day for so long. You are not dead yet."

"But how is that possible!?" Sonic grabbed his head, as if checking that it was still there, "I saw it! M-my head..."

"Well, it is true that you are not exactly alive." Sonar steered Sonic in a new direction, "You have been separated from your body, after all. No, there is one important detail that separates you from the dead. Would you like to hear it?"

"Um..." Sonic watched as the ground shifted, and a scene appeared before him as the clouds parted, "Yes?"

Sonar urged him forward, "Let's pay your friends a visit, shall we?"

***

Elise couldn't stop staring. She kept trying to tell herself that Sonic was dead, but somehow, his restored body still had a healthy glow to it, as if he was merely asleep. The only indication that he was dead was the lack of a heartbeat, no breathing, and the gray, ashen pallor he had developed over his skin. She could almost trick herself into believing he was still alive.

Amy looked up from where her tears had collected in her lap, "We can't stay here forever. Lyric and Iblis..."

She didn't finish. Still, nobody moved.

_Sonic stepped onto the ground, still feeling weightless and floaty. He felt a visceral kind of sadness looking at his own body, still cradled in Elise's arms, but he was relieved to see it in acceptable condition at least._

_Except for all the blood. That made him feel sick._

_"Go on, child." Sonar placed a gentle hand on his head, "I promise; Even if they don't respond, they will hear you."_

_Sonic swallowed, though physically he'd never felt better. If anything, it was just a calming reflex; A memory of feeling his vocal cords freeze up._

_"Gu-guys?" Sonic knelt down beside Elise, unable to tear his gaze away from his body, "I'm not dead yet. Can you hear me? I'm still here."_

Elise furrowed her brow, looking up and around. She could have sworn...

"Elise?" Shadow took a step closer, "What is it?"

Elise brushed her bangs back, "Do you feel that?"

Tails finally turned away from Cosmo, his eyes red from crying, "Feel what?"

_Sonic covered his mouth, turning back towards Sonar and the other dead family members. Sonar gave him a thumbs-up._

_"It's me! Sonic!" he tried to touch Elise's arm, but his hand passed right through her, "I'm still here! It's not too late!"_

Elise dropped Sonic's body, standing up to survey the world of fire and flames.

"Sonic..." Elise stood there, wide-eyed, "He's here!"

"Huh?" Silver followed her gaze, "Where? What are you talking about?"

Elise summoned her light staff, unhooking a ring around the jewel at the top; The broken crown of darkness.

"He's not dead yet." Elise turned the crown in her hands, "I can feel him here, I'm sure of it."

Amy leapt to her feet, "What? How can that be!?"

"What exactly do you feel?" Blaze asked.

"It's just...I don't know how to describe it, but it's like his soul is in the air..."

"Okay, but..." Tails' voice was still shaky, but he tried to keep it level, "If he's not dead yet, then how do we bring him back?"

Elise dropped the crown, and the two halves fully separated on the ground, "I don't know, but I'm sure we can do it somehow. Maybe the Chaos Emeralds will help."

Knuckles chimed in just then, "We still have the Master Emerald. Let's go ask Chaos if he has any idea how to fix this."

_Sonar knelt down beside Sonic, "See? I told you they would hear. Now come on. I've got some explaining to do."_

***


	42. Chapter 42

**June - Year 5**

Knuckles stood in front of the Master Emerald, returned to its pedestal on Angel Island, his arms crossed and his head down. His eyes were closed as he listened tentatively, the others behind him, waiting for the reply.

Knuckles finally opened his eyes, facing the rest of the group, "He says that Sonic is fine, but if we want to bring him back, we need all the emeralds."

Tails rubbed his arms, "How do we get them back from Lyric?"

A crack of thunder sounded just then, and Tails jumped back, falling into Cosmo, who held him tightly.

"I don't know." Knuckles glanced back at the emerald, "But Chaos says he can help us until we get to Lyric's base. Apparently the bastard is so powerful now that blocking out other people's power is too easy. No wonder he was gone for so long."

Silver approached the emerald, gazing into its hazy center, "So what should we do?"

Knuckles held up a hand, closing his eyes again to listen.

"Chaos has a plan." he said, "The ancients have knowledge on this kind of blessing. Let's go to Annie's temple."

***

Sonic watched the events unfold behind the fog of the spirit world, Sonar sitting cross-legged beside him, a soft smile on his face.

"So..." Sonic let the window to the living close, "What was Chaos saying about a blessing?"

Sonar's smile grew, and he held his hand out, "May I see your arm?"

Sonic lifted an eyebrow, but he complied. Sonar's touch was always gentle.

Sonar turned the appendage so Sonic's palm was facing up, placing his thumb on the inside of Sonic's elbow, "Do you see that?"

Sonic looked at his arm where Sonar was holding it...

And he stared.

A soft shimmer seemed to glitter underneath his skin, concentrated around his blood vessels, which were especially visible on his wrist and the inside of his elbow. He lifted his free hand to press to his neck. There was no heartbeat, but he still felt something push against his fingers, like power pulsing in his chest, going all the way out towards his fingertips and toes.

Sonic gazed up at Sonar, silently asking for an explanation.

"Still confused, child?" Sonar let his arm go, "Allow me to fill in the blanks for you. You see, most people who use the emeralds don't use them correctly. They are either too greedy, too inexperienced, too forceful, or too meek. Chaos cannot be predicted, so using its power as if it is will only spell disaster."

Sonic blinked, "Is it really that rare?"

"It is, and unfortunately, we learned that the hard way." Sonar stood to lead Sonic in a new direction, "Your connection to Chaos goes far beyond that, however. Chaos will destroy if his power is misused, but you have a deep understanding of how it works. You go with it rather than against it, and of course, this was only possible because you possess the soul of a true hero."

Sonar stopped him in front of another window in the clouds; Lyric's base, where his friends now gathered, ready to go inside.

"My child." Sonar knelt again to take his descendants' shoulder, "You are a _master_ of Chaos. Chaos has tried to save countless mortals from their fate, but none of those attempts worked because their bodies rejected the chaotic power. However...this attempt _has_ worked, and for that, I will be forever grateful."

Sonic's heart fluttered, and he found himself smiling, then laughing, then crying.

"I thought I was doomed to _die_ to Chaos!" Sonic jumped up and down in excitement, "But it turns out, Chaos is the one who saved my life!"

"Yes. You accepted the idea that you might die fighting evil." Sonar urged him into the window, taking that soft, floating step toward the ground, "You still fear death of course, as all of us do, but your true fear was the idea of leaving your friends, wasn't it?"

_Sonic's feet touched the ground before he answered, "Yeah, Tails especially. He's already lost and suffered so much at such a young age, the idea of leaving him when he's only twelve broke my heart more than I can describe..."_

_"Hey, now. No more tears." Sonar gave Sonic a pat on the back, "Let's go. Your friends could use your help."_

_Sonic took a deep breath, though it still didn't do anything substantial, "Yeah, you're right. Sorry."_

_"Don't apologize." Sonar led him inside the temple, "I expected you to be in despair after what happened. Haven't you said it yourself? Don't be mad at yourself for feeling."_

Elise stood at the front of the group, staff in hand. She wore no makeup aside from a light red lipstick, as the rest of her smeared makeup had been cleaned up.

"Okay, Tails." she tapped her staff on the ground, "What is this machine for?"

"Well, it looks to be some sort of experience machine." Tails looked over the screen on his dad's pocket computer, "According to these readings, Lyric is confident enough in his power that he's giving us a chance, albeit solely for his own amusement. In order for each of us to obtain our emerald, we have to..."

Tails eyes glazed over, and his grip failed, dropping the computer on the ground.

"Tails?" Cosmo took his shoulders, but he didn't look up, "What is it?"

His reaction made everyone else uneasy. Tails could barely breathe, as his chest suddenly felt like it was being weighed down with a ton of bricks.

He wheezed out, barely loud enough to hear, _"We have to relive our worst memory..."_

Nobody spoke. Fire and lightning crackled outside. It was like time itself stood still, holding its breath, waiting, and watching.

“How...” Knuckles eyed the machine, feeling sick to his stomach, “How does Lyric know what our worst memory is?”

“H-he doesn’t...” Tails kept one arm around Cosmo as he took his device back, his legs shaking so much they barely held him up, “That’s all part of the tech.”

Still, nobody wanted to be anywhere near the machine. They simply stared at it with increasing apprehensiveness.

“You know what?” Silver approached the machine with wide strides, “We won’t get anything done just sitting around here.”

“But how do we know Lyric isn’t lying?” Blaze said, “What if he just tortures us and then takes the emeralds for himself?”

“He won’t do that.” Tails pointed to the top of the machine, “The emeralds are actually in there. I would know, they wouldn’t show up properly on my device otherwise.”

_Sonic tried to reach out to Tails, but his hand went right through him, “Sonar, I can’t just sit here! What can I do!? Is there any way I can help!?”_

_Sonar placed a hand on Sonic’s head, “You’re very kind, Sonic. Yes, there is something you can do. As soon as they enter, I will show you.”_

_Sonic watched as his friends volunteered, one by one, until they were all in front of the machine, ready to enter._

Elise held her staff close to her heart, “All of you, please be careful. Lyric probably has a trap in there somewhere. I’ll see if I can find a way to make your job easier out here.”

The chamber opened up, and Tails plugged in his device to the side of the door to make sure it was safe. Once he was done, his heart sank, and he nodded.

He was the last person to enter the machine. His hands were tight around the pocket computer. He was paralyzed.

“Tails?”

Tails turned to the voice. Cosmo gently took the computer away from him.

“Guys, I...” Tails shook his head, “I don’t think I can do it...”

Cosmo took his cheek in her hand, “Tails...you don’t have to. If you can’t do it, we’ll find another way.”

Tails took her hand as it cradled his cheek, leaning into her touch as he closed his eyes.

“It’s okay.” Shadow left the machine, “We certainly wouldn’t mind skipping this part.”

Tails stayed motionless for another few minutes, thinking about Sonic, and what he would have said and done if he were still here.

He gave Cosmo a huge hug, and she reciprocated, “It’s okay, Tails. We’re here for you.”

_Sonic rose his hand, then he let it fall. It didn’t matter. They only barely knew he was there._

“Okay.” Tails quickly joined everyone else in the giant chamber of the machine, “Thanks, you guys, but I’m done being afraid. I can do this.”

“Hell yeah you can, little guy!” Knuckles ruffled Tails’ bangs.

The chamber closed, and all the lights turned off.

_"Come on." Sonar ran to the back of the machine, "I know you can keep up with me. Let's shut this thing down!"_

***


	43. Chapter 43

**??? - Year 5**

The first sensation Silver felt was extreme heat. He was burning alive.

He was so sure he could keep his focus by the time he was in his memory, but the blind panic made all his focus fly out the window. He was trying to get outside, but he couldn’t see through all the smoke, and his flying was interrupted by the flames snaking up his arms and legs. He could hear Blaze screaming, and another voice that he didn't recognize at first, but he realized that it had to be Marine, Blaze's best friend.

His eyes were too dry to shed any tears. The fire made them evaporate before they could fall, and that fact alone made his panic increase tenfold.

He only barely had his goal in mind, but if he couldn't focus on it in time, Lyric might get the jump on him. He couldn't breathe, and his eyes were struggling to stay open, but he squared his shoulders, he planted his feet, and before his mind could grow foggy from the lack of oxygen, he ran straight through the flames, ignoring the pain, ignoring the panic, ignoring his dry eyes-!

As soon as the wall was in sight, he kicked it with all his might, and suddenly, he was outside.

Silver got up, his burns crusted with blood as he looked around. His white Chaos Emerald was on the path leading up to the house.

He picked it up, disappearing as soon as he touched it.

***

Blaze opened her eyes to plain white walls. It took her a second to recognize her surroundings. She was in a hospital.

With numbness in her limbs, she climbed the stairs and walked down the hall on pure muscle memory. She had visited this hospital room every day for almost two years. She knew the way by heart.

Stepping into the room, she saw him. Silver was wrapped up in clean bandages, smelling strongly of antiseptic. Clumps of his fur and quills were missing, making him look much smaller than he should have, and there was a thick breathing tube down his throat. He hardly looked like himself.

A few tears spilled down Blaze's face, but the memory wasn't over yet.

"Here he is." the doctor at the door said, "He's in bad shape, but he is incredibly lucky. He should make a full recovery."

Blaze barely recalled the memory what the doctor looked like. All she remembered was that they were a mobian wolf, "And Marine? Where is she?"

She knew the answer, but she had asked anyway.

"I'm sorry, but...she didn't make it."

Blaze sucked in a breath of air. It had been so many years since Marine died to Blaze's own fire, but the pain of losing her never got any easier. The tears were falling before she could stop them. She was no longer a princess. She was just a stray cat in exile. She made long scratches across her face, hyperventilating until her vision blacked out.

_No! Focus! Lyric is trying to get to you!_

Blaze slapped her own face to try and snap her out of it. She quickly pushed past the doctor, leaving Silver there despite how much the action hurt. Wherever the exit was, it would not be in that room.

She found what she was looking for behind the front desk in the main lobby. When the nurse's back was turned, she reached for it, and the memory vanished.

***

Shadow woke up in Maria's play room. He had a toy firetruck in one hand and a fashion doll in the other. 12-year-old Maria was across from him, reading a picture book on the floor as she lay on her stomach. The room smelled like alcohol and medicine.

He wasn't surprised to be in this memory, but seeing her again after so long especially knowing what was going to happen made something pang in his chest.

He put the toys down, already diverting from the original memory.

"Shadow?" Maria looked up from her book, "What's wrong?"

Shadow was choking up, "I..."

A sudden alarm sounded throughout the facility, just as a distant gunshot was heard.

Without fully realizing what he was doing, Shadow grabbed Maria's arm to drag her from the room, "Come on!"

In the next room over, Shadow heard Gerald Robotnik scream. 

"Grandfather!" He let go of Maria's hand, sprinting to the other room with his hover shoes on max power. Inside, he saw something so gruesome it made his heart drop into his stomach.

The good doctor was dead. He had a bullet through his heart.

"It's Project Shadow!"

Shadow tore his gaze away from the corpse of his caretaker to the GUN agents who had killed him.

"GET HIM!"

Shadow ran away, sweeping Maria off her feet to carry her to the only room he'd never set foot in before; The escape deck.

Shadow set her down to quickly boot up an escape pod, "We'd better get out of here. We can come back for Grandfather later."

"But Shadow, what happened? Why is the siren going off!?"

The memory was playing out exactly as he remembered. He wasn't sure how to break out of this spell. It wasn't as if he was being forced to do it like this through magic or even science for that matter. It was more like he was actually in this situation as if it was the first time he was experiencing it. He was trying to hold onto his goal, but it was quickly slipping...

"There!" Shadow took Maria's arm again, "Get into the escape pod! Let's go!"

She seemed reluctant, glancing down at the bandage on her arm where she was constantly poked for her medicine.

"Maria, please. We can get to a hospital on Earth. We can make sure you don't get dirty. We can be really careful, just please come with me!"

Maria had tears in her eyes.

"Let's go! Please, Maria! Listen to me!"

She suddenly pushed him into the pod and hit the "close hatch" button.

"NO!" Shadow banged on the glass, but it was easily bulletproof, "Maria, _what are you doing!?"_

"Shadow, you know how people are treated in hospitals!" she cried, her big blue eyes squinted and shining from the tears, "They won't be able to help me, but they can help you! I was going to die anyway, but you don't have to!"

"NO! MARIA, YOU CAN'T JUST GIVE UP LIKE THIS! PLEASE! _STOP!"_

The soldiers broke into the room, training their guns on Maria.

"MARIA! _MARIA!"_

Her smile was as warm as it was bitter, "Goodbye, Shadow."

_"NOOO!"_

She launched him into space, and then a bullet went through her head. Shadow just caught the way her eyes went glassy and lifeless, her golden blonde hair stained with bright red.

She was dead before her body hit the ground.

_"NOOO, MARIA!"_ Shadow banged his head on the glass, his efforts to break free increasing tenfold.

_Wait. Maria has already been dead for decades. Focus, Shadow. Lyric needs to be taken care of._

Finally broken from the spell, the red stripes on Shadow's body began to glow, "Chaos Control!"

He was back in the escape deck. The soldiers turned their guns to him, trying to shoot his bulletproof skin, but Shadow ignored them, lifting Maria's body into his arms.

"I promise." he hugged her close, ignoring the smell of her anemic blood, "I'll visit your grave as soon as this is all over."

He dropped her, leveling his gaze as the shots continued. He waited until the gunshots stopped, and all that could be heard was a series of soft clicks.

Shadow landed a kick on the man right in front of him, and his black emerald flew out. He caught it without a second thought.

***

Knuckles wasn't sure what to expect. He had a lot of bad memories, and trying to predict which one he hated the most was a little too overwhelming.

Still, as soon as his eyes opened, he realized that the answer was obvious from the start.

He hadn't thought about this memory in a long time. He was only a child again, and suddenly being only two feet tall when he was so used to being five feet tall was already disorienting. His steadfast goal was already slipping.

He was in his bed in his old tent house. The smell of palm trees and cedar wood was wafting in through every corner. Knuckles stood up on the carpeted floor, leaving through the open doorway to listen into the foyer from the living room. They spoke the native ancient language, which Knuckles hadn't heard or spoken in a long time.

_"He's falling behind. Didn't you get my letters, Locke? He's failing!"_

_"He is not failing. My son is very smart, and for a boy his age, his strength is not all that bad. You need to get your head out of your old ways and stop trying to tell me how I should be raising my son."_

_"Are you serious? Did you see his report? He can barely lift the smallest dumbbell! Are you going to address that!?"_

_"Don't raise your voice at your commander! My son is exactly where he needs to be! This conversation is over!"_

It was coming. It was going to happen. He was going to break. It was going to-!

The other echidna in the room punched Locke, and a massive fight broke out. Knuckles covered his ears. Despite the fact that he was avoiding it now, in his original memory, he saw the whole thing, and he knew exactly what was happening with every bang and crash that he heard.

By the time the fight was over, Locke had been thrown into the wooden table, and he lay in the splintered remains, cradling a bruise that had formed above his eye.

"Some commander you are, eh Locke?"

Locke didn't respond. The other hulking man left without any injuries, and Knuckles finally felt brave enough to come out.

"Dad?" he reached out a tentative hand, "Are you okay?"

"Go away, Knuckles. Please." Locke hid his face in shame, "Leave me be."

Knuckles turned to go to his room and cry into his pillow, which he had done when this had actually happened, but looking back on this memory so many times, he knew what he would have done if he could go back and change it.

"No." Knuckles carefully knelt among the mess to place a hand on his father's knee, "I'm not leaving you. You're the only family I have left, and family sticks together, right?"

Locke looked up in shock at the wisdom of someone who was supposed to be less than ten years old, "But...I lost to a rookie fighter..."

"So?" Knuckles grabbed his father's hand, marvelling at how small his hands looked in Locke's giant boxing gloves, "I abandoned you when I shouldn't have, and I couldn't make it right because Robotnik killed you...I just, I wish I could go back and say I'm sorry for making you feel like you had done something wrong. I didn't tell any of my friends about you because I thought of you as the cause of my misery..."

Locke wrapped him up in a huge hug, a familiarity in the shadow of a memory.

"I forgive you, kid." he said, "You're my son, of course I forgive you. I love you."

Knuckles held onto him, knowing he would never get another chance to, _"I love you too, dad..."_

He was sure he was going crazy, but he could have sworn that this was not just a memory of his injured father from his worst memory...he thought...maybe he was really there...?

"Here." Locke brandished the red emerald, "You need this, don't you?"

Knuckles nodded, "I don't want to leave. I miss you."

"I know you do. I miss you every day." Locke brushed one of Knuckles' dreadlocks from his face, "But I got your message, and you got mine. One day, you will see me again, but until then, go help your friends, alright?"

Knuckles smiled in determination, "Alright. Bye, dad. I'll see you later."

"Goodbye, son. You'll be in my heart until then."

Knuckles took the emerald.

"Same for you."

***


	44. Chapter 44

**??? - Year 5**

When Amy opened her eyes, she was on Christmas Island, during its reign under Robotnik. She was small again, in her old green blouse and orange skirt. She was dreading this memory. She dreaded it all the way down to her bones.

"Locke, just look at this place! We can't stay!"

"But we have to do _something!_ Think of my son! Your daughter! If we don't get rid of them, they'll come for us! I learned that the hard way when those buggers on Angel Island killed my wife!"

Amy watched Locke and Lily argue behind a piece of rubble. She remembered wondering why her mom was out here with that Locke guy. She knew him, but he wasn't very clear in her hazy memory.

"Locke..." Lily crossed her arms, "How about this; We get the kids out, _then_ we fight Robitnik. How does that sound?"

Locke was about to argue, but instead he sighed, "Alright. Let's hurry, though. There's no telling how long we have until-!"

Lily stiffened, her eyes glazing over.

"Huh?" Locke caught her as she fell, "Lily? Lily, are you alr-!"

He got the same unresponsiveness, and then, before he could finish his sentence, he had fallen too.

Amy froze. Metal Sonic had arrived.

He saw her, and his eyes flashed dangerously, but he decided to fly away and let her live.

Amy ran to Lily, "Mom? Mom, what happened?"

There was no response.

"Mom..." Amy felt herself sway, "Mom, don't leave me. Please. _I'm all alone..."_

Amy lay down next to her mom, in the crook of her arm, then she lay her head on Lily's chest. She liked her mom to hold her like this when she needed comfort, as she liked to listen to her mom's slow, strong heartbeat.

There was none.

She was dead.

Amy wept softly, burying her face in her mom's shoulder. Her body was still warm. She could almost pretend like nothing had happened. Like she still had a family.

After awhile, Amy would have been drained, only to be found by Manik later on, where she would join his band of rascals. She remembered how numb she was, like a massive hole had been cut out in her chest. Unfeeling. Unblinking. A part of her had died with the only family she knew, and she ran on autopilot for over a day after she was found.

Amy broke from the spell, though. She channeled her depression into anger, and she ran from the scene, determined to find her emerald before she lost herself to grief she had been handling so well. This was such an accurate memory, details she thought she had forgotten about became sharp and in-focus, and the shock she had felt from losing her mother was so fresh she could already feel her limbs freezing and shaking, threatening to throw her back down onto the broken concrete.

She never let the image of Lyric leave her mind. His cracked lips and toothless smile was the only thing stopping her from freezing up again, as that tiny fire of rage kept her warm despite the cold shock and grief. She didn't stop running until feeling came back into her fingers and toes, and her mind had broken from the scene around her like she was suddenly in a lucid dream.

She finally came to a halt on the street where Manik lived with his adoptive family. The memory was becoming hazy at the edges in response to her defiance, so she knew she needed to find the exit before it kicked her out.

But she didn't even know what she was looking for.

"Who's there?"

Amy turned to the voice of Manik. She wasn't used to seeing him so young, but this did happen about ten years ago.

"Hey, are you okay?" Manik approached her cautiously, "Do you need help?"

It took a moment for Amy to get her voice to work, "Yeah. Do you know a way out of this memory?"

Manik seemed shocked at first, but then he frowned.

"No, but I know who does." he pointed behind him, "Metal was holding something as he flew away. I'm sure it'll help you get out of here."

Amy nodded at memory-Manik, "Thank you. I'll see you for real soon, okay?"

"No problem, Rosy. See you then."

Amy summoned her hammer. Overtime, she had upgraded the piko hammer to have a longer, sturdier handle, a more narrow head with rounded ends, and wrapped it in sports tape to hold it together and provide more grip so it didn't fly out of her hands. However, the hammer she summoned in the memory was the same as it had been all those years ago; A simple cylinder with padded ends on a stick. Seeing it like this again was nostalgic, but she didn't dwell on it.

"Hey, idiot!" she screamed into the void of the city, "I've got a bone to pick with you! Come out and face me!"

A shock of blue and red appeared in her vision, and she swung at it with all her might. Metal went flying, and a shining pink emerald flew out of him.

Amy leapt into the air to grab it, and the scene turned white.

_"I'm so proud of you, sweetheart."_ she heard from the void.

She smiled as her heart warmed, the scene dissolving around her.

"Thanks, mom."

***

Only one memory left.

Tails refused to open his eyes. Already he felt weird. He was far too short and small, and his hands and feet felt too big for his limbs.

He knew exactly what he would see when he opened his eyes, but he wasn't ready to face it yet. He was already quaking at the idea of facing this memory. He was regretting this entire ordeal in a million ways, but he meant it when he said he was done being afraid.

So, with a lump in his throat, he opened his eyes.

He was in his room in his old house. He was in a child-size bed, as just a year prior, he'd been sleeping in a crib. He still had a mobile over his head, though, and he had a tiny plastic table beside him that was covered in electronics and small mechanic's tools.

He felt too heavy to move, but nonetheless, he stood up and left his bedroom.

It was the dead of night. His parents had told him that they would only be gone with their friend for a couple hours at most, but it was now four in the morning and they were still nowhere to be seen. Tails didn't bother checking the whole house. He knew they wouldn't be there. He usually even had neighbors who would check on him every so often, (probably babysitting, but he didn't realize that at the time) but for some reason, they were absent too.

He was hungry, but the pantry was locked, and the fridge door was too heavy to move. The front and back doors were both locked as well, as was the door to his parents' bedroom. He wasn't as helpless as a human three-year-old, obviously, but the child-proofing on the house still worked. He was devastated. What if the way out was behind one of these locked doors? It wouldn't be that big of a deal if he was here now, at almost thirteen years old, but because he was three in this memory, not only did he see the world through the eyes of a toddler, but he had the ability of one too.

He remembered being so confused. Why had Mommy and Daddy not come back? Was he alone from now on? Did they abandon him? Would he ever see them again?

In response to the mounting pressure in his chest, he collapsed on the ground, and he cried. The silence and the loneliness pushed down on him on all sides, suffocating and stifling. He could barely breathe. He was both too hot and too cold. He was tired and hungry and sick of waiting.

He remembered how this memory continued. He broke the window with a heavy rock, gathered up as many electronic things as he could carry, and he left to find his parents. He camped out in a garage for awhile, keeping tabs on the weather, the comings and goings of residence, and the number of robots in any given area. He would meet Sonic not long after.

But he couldn't go. Facing all of that was so hard the first time, and he did have a voice in the back of his head telling him that someone would get him if he didn't stay. The way out was in the house, he was sure of it, but he wasn't sure where to start.

His thoughts were jumbled now. His worst memory was so physically tame. Nothing happened. Nothing at all. There was just mind-numbing silence...and the wild speculation of the mind of a child.

Tails tried to block out the dark thoughts, but it was a slow go. It took ages of him just taking slow, calming breaths, trying to remember why he was here.

He considered what would happen if he continued with the memory. He would meet Sonic. Sonic would be alive. However, it would take a long time of being on his own during countless thunderstorms before they would meet. And then what? Just live within a memory instead of pushing forward with his real life? And what about Lyric? Tails was not considering it for real, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t thinking about it.

Still, staying in that house all alone in the dead of night was maddening. What was he going to do?

_Don’t be afraid._ He told himself, _That was the point of this. Don’t let everyone die because you were too stubborn to get on with the plan. You can do this. You know Sonic would believe in you if he were here._

He opened his eyes. He stood up. He took one shaking step after another.

He wasn’t giving up that easily.

Tails went back to his room to grab a small manual drill. It wasn’t ideal for heavy-duty purposes, but he would take what he could get. He headed to the door leading into the garage, then he drilled holes into the wooden door around the metal latch that kept the door closed. It took a lot of persistence, and many messy drilled holes, but finally, the lock gave way, and Tails pulled the door open, flicking on the lightswitch.

His dad was a messy builder, so he had to be careful treading through the puddles of oil and grease on the concrete floor. Mechanical parts were strewn about all over the place, including wires, cylinders, screws, nuts and bolts, and various other things that Tails couldn’t identify in his hazy memory. He searched in all the boxes, on all the shelves, and in various corners hidden by massive machines and cans of paint. Nothing.

Next, Tails tried the basement. He was never allowed in there for reasons he didn’t know at the time, but looking back, it was probably because it was unfinished, which isn’t safe for such a small child. Still, he had an electric drill that his father always used, and he did the same trick for cracking the lock on this one. Looking around here was easier, as it was almost entirely empty. No exit in sight.

Finally, with the prohibited rooms out of the way, Tails did another sweep of the kitchen, bathroom, foyer, and living room. His high chair had been pushed into a corner, and he felt another nostalgic pang looking at it. It still had the remains of a white chocolate chip cookie, which was one of his favorite things to eat after his baby teeth had grown in.

_No! Focus!_ Tails left the memories behind as he continued to search, his heart heavy at how stuck he felt in such a remote part of his past.

Finally, the last room in the house. His parents’ bedroom. He didn’t want to go inside if he could help it, because it felt too much like invading their privacy, but he realized that since he’d never been in there in real life before, he would probably find nothing but a generic bedroom. So, with one last latch-crack, he was inside.

His guess was spot-on. He’d never seen a more stock-photo bedroom before in his life. It was perfectly clean, so searching it was easy.

And there, in the first drawer of the end table to the left of the bed, was his yellow chaos emerald. The memory was already growing hazy. He picked it up, and suddenly he was twelve again, in his modern attire, in a white void.

The haziness in his mind was gone, and he could think clearly again.

A wide smile broke out across his face, “I did it! Oh my god, I faced my fear! I got out of there! Don’t worry, Sonic! I’m coming!”

“I hope you don’t plan on leaving without saying hello!”

He jumped at the voice, “Dad? What? No, it can’t be...”

“But it is.” someone wrapped him up in a hug.

“M-Mommy?” Tails hugged her back, “Mom, is that really you?”

Another person joined the hug, “You’ve grown up so much, son.”

“Daddy, Dad, you...” Tails was trying not to cry, but he was also failing, “Mom! Dad!”

He pulled away from them. They were exactly the same as he remembered.

“Sorry. We couldn’t resist seeing you again.” April wiped her son’s tears away, “We left you so early. We miss you every single day.”

“I miss you too!” Tails held his emerald close, “I love you guys! I want you to come home!”

“I know.” August held his hand, “We wish we could. We love you with all our hearts.”

Tails let his parents hug him again. He’d never been so happy. He was sure he would never get to see them again, but there they were.

“Wait. Sonic.” Tails took a step back, April and August’s arms still around him, “Did you meet Sonic? Is he okay?”

April smiled softly at him, "He's fine. Don't worry."

"Whew." Tails looked at the emerald, still held in one hand, "Um, do I have to leave now? I don't want to stay if..."

August scratched Tails behind his ear, "Time works differently here. You can stay a little longer."

Tails sighed in relief. He wasn't sure how long he stayed after that, but he was at peace by the time the memory faded.

***


	45. Chapter 45

**June - Year 5**

All six of them opened their eyes at the same time. The machine opened up, and just like that, they were set free.

Tails was the first to get out, the yellow emerald still in his hand.

"Tails!"

Cosmo barrelled into him, and he laughed as he twirled her around.

"Cosmo! I did it!" Tails set her down, "I faced my fear! I got the emerald!"

"AH! I'm so happy for you!"

"Wow." Knuckles stretched as he exited the machine with everyone else, "I feel so refreshed. Is everyone alright? Did everyone wake up?"

Silver took a headcount as he scratched an area on his head that had burned in his memory, _"Amy Knuckles Tails Blaze Shadow,_ yep, everyone's here."

Elise had already laid Sonic's body on the ground outside. The seven of them made their way to her before Cosmo stopped them.

"Wait." she looked down at Sonic's body, then at the others, "We need seven, don't we?"

Elise smiled, reaching into the pocket of her dress and procuring Sonic's blue emerald, "Let's do this."

Each emerald was placed in a circle around Sonic, and Elise knelt down beside the circle, placing one hand on the ground with the other over her heart. She started her prayer.

_"Spirit of Chaos, Ancient of the Emeralds. Please aid us in reviving our friend."_

_Sonic became transparent as her prayer continued._

_"Well." Sonar gave him a pat, "I guess this is it, eh child?"_

_Sonic looked back at the group of dead family members, feeling excited but bittersweet._

_"Guys..." Sonic's eyes landed on Chuck, and he took a sharp inhale, "I won't see you again for a long time, huh?"_

_Chuck gave him a hug, "No. As much as I'm going to miss you, I hope I don't see you again for a very long time. I hope you live a very long life filled with joy. When you do finally join us for good, I will welcome you with open arms."_

_Sonic held on tighter when he felt his eyelids grow heavier, "Thanks, Uncle Chuck. I love you so much."_

_"I love you too, kiddo."_

_Sonic looked up at Bernadette, who was smiling at him._

_"Sorry, Mother." he stepped away from Chuck, "I don't know you very well. I can't really think of you as my mother."_

_"I know, but you're my son." she took his hand as it faded, "I will always love you, no matter who you see as your guardian, and there's nobody I trust more than Aleena's brother."_

_"Heheh. Thanks, Bernie." Chuck elbowed her, "Well, goodbye, Sonic. Someone else needs you more than us right now."_

_Sonic was quickly fading away, his spirit sparkling with a bright white light. He didn't exactly want to leave yet, seeing as this would be his last time seeing them in awhile, but he knew Chuck was right. He wanted to be alive, if only to see his friends again._

_After all, the afterlife had no need for a hero._

_"Well..." Sonic waved, "I'll see you guys later...okay?"_

_"Goodbye, son!" Chuck waved back, "We love you to pieces. Never forget that, okay?"_

_Sonic stared as he was lifted into the air._

_Chuck had called him his son._

_He began to laugh, squeezing his eyes shut as he threw his head back. He was still laughing when he reentered the living plane._

_He never wanted this feeling to end._

***

The first thing Sonic noticed was just how heavy he felt. After being a wandering spirit for so long, being in a body again was disorienting and exhausting. He felt like he hadn't slept in a million years.

And then, he was being lifted off the ground.

"It's working!" Elise quickly stood up and backed away, "Welcome back, my friend!"

Sonic emerged in a burst of power. He had become Super Sonic.

His golden quills stuck out behind him like they were pulsed with static as he softly floated just above the ground.

_"SONIIIIIC!"_

Amy wrapped her arms around his shoulders, firmly pressing her lips to his. He let his eyes slip closed, leaning back in the air with his hands on her waist. The golden glow spread to her, and it wasn't long before she was flying beside him.

Sonic broke the kiss, holding her hands between them, _"Wow..."_

Amy giggled, "Sorry. Couldn't help myself."

"Sonic!" Tails grabbed him in a tight hug, "Don't leave us like that! _You really scared me..."_

"Tails..." Sonic held him close to himself, "I'm so sorry. I never wanted to go."

_"I love you."_

"Huh?" Sonic pulled back to look at his friend's tear-stained face.

"I said I love you." Tails gave him a shaky smile, "You're my brother, right?"

Sonic tapped their foreheads together, "Of course, bro. I love you too."

The glow spread to him next.

"Hey, meathead." Knuckles gave his shoulder a punch, "Try not to die on us again, alright?"

"Pfft. I'll try not to." Since Sonic was in the air, he could actually reach the top of Knuckles' head as he leaned on him, "Hey Knux...you're one of my best friends too, alright? Never forget that."

Knuckles gave him a wink before his smile turned genuine, "I know. Thanks, buddy."

He joined them.

"I'm not afraid anymore, Sonic!" Silver flew into the air using his psychokinesis, "Let's get rid of Iblis together!"

Then Silver.

Blaze lifted her hand to him with a simple, "Let's go."

Then Blaze.

The last to join them was Shadow, who stood next to Elise and Cosmo. Elise gave him an encouraging nod, and he stepped forward.

"I'm not sitting this one out, Sonic." Shadow let the glow spread to him, "Lyric dies today."

Sonic took his hand, "Thanks, Shads. Let's-!"

A loud _BOOM!_ shook the ground beneath them, and the emeralds left them. They fell to the ground, the air knocked out of their lungs.

Sonic struggled to stand, but before he could get up, a long mechanical arm grabbed him, squeezing him until he couldn't breathe.

"Hey!" Shadow tried to attack, but he was knocked back considerably, screaming in pain before he hit the ground.

Sonic got a glance of Lyric, and he tried to kick out to escape.

"Honestly..." the Chaos Emeralds surrounded him, "You think I set this all up with no backup plan?"

"Let him go!" Tails flew into the air, "CHAOS CONTROL!"

His emerald snapped to him at the same time he warped to Lyric, throwing a sticky bomb to the back of Lyric's head. He dropped Sonic as he recoiled.

"Ah!" Sonic gasped as he landed, "Thanks, Buddy!"

Lyric wrapped a long mechanical arm around Tails, holding him close to his face, _"Why you little..."_

Tails paled.

"Tails!" Sonic tried to warp, but something blocked him.

Tails' head was spinning. He squeezed his eyes shut, biting his lip and swallowing thickly.

When he looked at Lyric again, he did so with a spark in his gaze. He narrowed his eyes and grit his teeth.

His voice didn't shake at all.

"I'm not scared of you."

Lyric's eyes widened.

_"Chaos control!"_

Tails zipped to each emerald, bringing them back to the group.

"Good job, kiddo!" Knuckles helped Silver stand, "Come on, guys! Quick!"

All seven Wielders added a hand to the circle before Lyric could steal the emeralds again. The light brilliantly shone out in all directions.

All seven emeralds. All seven Wielders.

When Sonic emerged, he was lighter than air. The golden hue of the light made his figure blur at the edges. Time slowed down, until the world around them was nearly frozen.

No, he realized. Time wasn't slowing down; He was speeding up!

"Whoa!" Tails looked at his gloved hands, which glowed a fluorescent, pearly white, "Sonic! Look!"

He did. Lyric had slowed down with the rest of the world. They had a huge advantage over him as long as they had the emeralds, but something still seemed to be missing.

Sonic focused on the power. The ancients were still absent. Chip's presence was gone, as was Annie's and Chaos' and everyone else's.

The reason he'd felt so alone before his temporary death...

"Guys!" Sonic gathered his friends in a circle, "The other ancients are in danger! Lyric has been feeding off of them this whole time! We have to save them first!"

Silver shook his sparkling bangs "What if we run out of power!?"

"We won't." Shadow pulled a mass of rings from the earth, "We need to hurry though! This won't last forever!"

"Follow me!" Sonic took them in a V formation, like a flock of birds, "We'd better find them quick!"

Lyric's base was nearby, so finding and searching it was easy. The modified Eclipse cannon was charged with every Sol Emerald, which meant that every ancient on their side had been incapacitated.

"This is really bad." Knuckles eyed the machine warily, "If Lyric got rid of every ancient, then what can we do?"

"I don't know." Tails took a deep breath, "But they're still alive. They have to be."

Shadow held up his hand, "I know where Gaia is. I can feel it. Come with me!"

Shadow led them to a volcano; The very same volcano he had thrown all the cores into from the previous Eclipse cannon. Sonic felt it too. Chip's energy was radiating from inside.

"Do we..." Silver cocked his head, "Have to go inside...?"

Sonic recoiled from the heat of the magma, and yet, the emeralds were still with them. All seven of them were together.

"I know what to do." Shadow beckoned everyone forward, "If we push the lava back and cool it, it will form a tunnel."

"How deep will we have to go?" Tails said.

"Not far. Lyric can't go into the earth either." Shadow lifted his hands, channelling the energy through a white-hot light, "Let's go!"

Sonic took each of his friends' hands, forming a ring similar to the one in the Dark Gaia fight. They brought their hands together before proceeding into the volcano, the light turning to blue as it formed a cone around them. The smooth liquid rock hardened into a wall that surrounded them, protecting them as the power cooled to near absolute zero. Sonic let go, reaching a hand out into the core of the earth.

The coolness that came with his werehog form had returned.

His arm transformed just long enough to stretch into the lava, until he caught a tiny form in his grip. The tunnel collapsed behind them as they retreated from the volcano and back into the sky.

"Chip!" Sonic shook the gold and purple creature, "Wake up!"

Chip's eyes fluttered open, "Huh? Sonic, what...?"

He reacted immediately to the energy, and he realized what must have happened.

"Lyric." he grit his teeth in anger, shaking his head, "No! I thought I had him! I was fighting! I..."

Amy pat his head, "Do you know where the other ancients are? We have to save them."

Chip sighed, "I do." he extended his energy outward, "Follow me!"

In an instant, Chip had led them to the Mystic Ruins. There was a lake beneath a waterfall near the path that led to Angel Island, with a stream that ran into a river that ran into the ocean. Chip took them through the waterfall, and Sonic recognized where they were.

"It's Shoulders' Gaia temple!" Knuckles marvelled at the paintings on the walls.

Silver landed on the floor, "You mean Shoulder's temple isn't on Angel Island?"

"Well, this whole continent is technically mine, so..."

Sonic tapped the pedestal where the red emerald was supposed to go, "Where are they?"

Chip let his necklace resonate with the temple until every door opened at the same time. Robots filled the corridors, and each Wielder took out all of them.

"Lyric knows we're here." Chip gestured forward, "This way."

The hallway he led them to actually made Sonic stop for a full second, which was a long time in their hyper sped-up state. It was empty. It was completely devoid of anything, clay pots or otherwise, and yet the Chaos signature of the ancients was strong. They had to be in here somewhere, but there was nothing, not even any barriers.

"What?" Chip landed on the ground, a light rippling from his feet across the ground, "They...they're supposed to be here. They should be here. Why...?"

Sonic ran a hand along the inside of the hallway. Lyric didn't rely on magic. He felt it to be inferior to technology. That meant the ancients were in fact physically here, even if they were locked in a parallel universe.

Sonic reached back. The Master Emerald was still unharmed. Chaos could project his power through the emeralds. Chaos was still quiet, but he was there. He was alive, and that's all they needed.

"Chip, tell me where they are."

Chip let a large beam of light reach out from his necklace, "They're here, but they're trapped. We need to find a trigger that will release them."

"What kind of trigger?" Amy spun her hammer around, "It's not physical, is it?"

Silver knocked on the wall, and it shimmered.

"Blaze." he said, "Energy sword."

Blaze tossed him a white fireball, and he elongated it. He strapped it to his wrist, then he backed up and threw his arm out as fast as he could. The blade went right through the wall, making a loud screeching sound as if going through steel.

Sonic hit the wall, and a hollow sound reverberated through it. He hit it again, then he hit it harder, "Come on! This wall is fake!"

The thing about the temple walls is that they were made of clay, but no amount of force made this wall crumple. Instead, it wavered, like ripples in a pond. Every time Sonic threw a punch as hard as he could, a low-pitched BANG! hammered in his eardrums, and the world around him seemed to slow. He hit it again and again, but each pound only made the pressure in his skull increase. His senses dulled, like he'd been dunked underwater, and the world swayed. Still, the wall was shrinking, and every time he hit it, he felt like he was moving through molasses, thicker and thicker, sticking to him constantly until it was hard to breathe.

"Careful!" Chip centered his magic in the middle of the wall, "All of you! Hit here at the same time!"

Blaze's fire, Silver's compressed boulder, Amy's hammer, Knuckles' fist, Sonic's foot, Tails' lunge and Shadow's spear concentrated on that glow, and the wall finally collapsed, releasing a burst of energy awash in electrical equipment like wires and chips.

"AHH!" Annie fell flat on her face, "Goodness, what happened!?"

"Children!" Shoulders helped his siblings stand, "You made it! You're here!"

"Guys!" Sonic laughed, shaking his throbbing hand, "I've never been so happy to see you!"

The wall had been hiding a machine similar to the experience machine that gave them the emeralds, except the wires that had held them in place had been sucking all their power out while they lay unconscious.

"Oh my...I thought...Sonar..." Annie shakily stood, "No matter. We are free now. We must stop Lyric. Gaia, return to the Earth and return to us our stolen power!"

"You got it!" Chip disappeared into the ground.

"You must not falter now." Annie lifted her hand, "Solaris is still a threat to us. As long as he stands, you will never win."

"Then let's get him!" Knuckles punched his open palm, and the sound reverberated loudly, "I've been wanting to kick in his throat all day!"

"No!" Annie stopped their flow of power long enough for some blue to bleed through the pearly gold on Sonic's fur, "Solaris is constant. He exists as a part of space and time itself. Defeating him here, now, would do nothing."

"If you wish to destroy him," Platinum was kneeling with one hand on his forehead, "You must do it properly. He must be annihilated at every point in the universe simultaneously!"

Tails threw his hands up, "And how in the _universe_ are we expected to do that!?"

Annie grinned, "With our help, of course."

Chaos' voice filled Sonic's head in that moment. I did it. I saved you. I was so sure it would not work. I am so glad.

Sonic smiled, "Then lead the way, Annie. By all means."

Annie lifted her hand as her quills began to float, her pink shimmery fur turning closer to white.

_It's now or never._ Chip had returned to the planet. _You have everything you need now._

_Do not hesitate. The fate of reality itself depends on you._

***


	46. Chapter 46

**June - Year 5**

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight.

The higher he counted, the more nervous he got. The entire sky was engulfed in flames. Sheets of red covered every inch of the world. The air was stiflingly hot. Sonic's hands were sweaty beneath his gloves. Even the ocean looked more like lava from so high up, as it no longer reflected a blue sky.

Nine. Ten. Eleven-!

"Sonic."

Sonic jumped when Shadow grabbed his hand, "Uh, yeah?"

He shook his head, "You're not helping anyone. Try not to think so hard about it."

Sonic laughed nervously as the group flew, "I'm tryin', Shads, but this is the moment we've been waiting for. After this, all our threats will be gone. I'll be able to sleep peacefully for the first time in ten years. I just can't seem to...I donno..."

Tails took his other hand, "I feel the same way. It seems unreal that it's almost over. I'm almost suspicious."

Shadow let go, flying faster until he was at the helm, "We have the plan. If at any point you feel any pain, please let go of the power, and the rest of us will take over until you're ready again."

Silver shook his head, "How long will we be in this fight?"

"All day." Blaze sighed, "Maybe even longer."

Sonic was exhausted just thinking about it.

Silver pointed, "There he is."

The fire all concentrated around a point in the Pacific ocean, so far from civilization that only specks of islands littered the world all the way to the horizon. It looked like an hourglass-shaped tornado, with the top extending all the way into the sky until it blended in with the rest of the fire, and the bottom was fused to the ocean floor, boiling the water wherever it was touched.

Also, it was bigger than a mountain. Bigger than a country, even. Its size would easily dwarf the biggest cruise ship in the world so it appeared nothing but a speck.

"Alright." Sonic extended his hand, and the power crackled at his fingertips, "We can do this. Let's go."

Solaris didn't even seem to notice them. It was too busy burning everything in its path as it gathered its mass from the flames surrounding the world.

"Solaris didn't do this before." Silver set a thread in place, "Why is he so spread out?"

Knuckles floated beside him, "Maybe Elise was just holding onto him so tight that releasing him made him explode out harder?"

"Maybe." Blaze was on Silver's other side, "Or it could be Lyric's unstable handling of it. Lyric is not exactly experienced in magic."

Each thread locked around the monster, covering it in a mess of tangled webs. Sonic placed the final thread, locking every fiber in place.

"Okay. On the count of three, we close our trap." Sonic held his hand up, as did everyone else.

"One..."

The web twinkled.

"Two..."

Solaris finally noticed them, reaching out-!

"Three!"

The net snapped shut, and the sky was clear again.

"Whoa." Silver darted around the clouds of steam, "Is...is that it? Did we do it?"

Blaze grabbed him, "Silver, look!"

Their net could not be seen, because it was surrounded by the ancients, including Chaos himself. They held their hands up, their fingertips touching so each of them held the power together. It had disappeared from their sight because the hulking mass was now no bigger than a car, and a steady stream of energy created a white halo around it.

"We can hold it like this." Annie called over her shoulder, "But not forever! Lyric is now defenseless! Destroy him! Leave no trace! Finish what we should have all those years ago!"

"You got it!" Sonic held all of his friends together, "Chaos Control!"

Time was steadily speeding up again. The fire in the sky hadn't entirely disappeared yet, but Lyric was no longer where they had left him. They searched with their combined energy, hoping to find him among the other signals on the planet.

He was nowhere to be found.

_That can't be right._ Sonic thought. Is this why they could never find him? Because he could simply blink out of existence on a whim?

"He can't do this again." Sonic reached an arm out, "If he won't come out, we'll just have to force him out. Ready?"

Each of his friends added a hand to the circle, and their glow shone like the sun.

They each held their hands out the way they had seen the ancients do, and a figure appeared in the center of their circle.

"No! Stop! This is madness! You will all die! Every one of you-!"

Sonic cut him off angrily, "You're a coward! What, all your stolen power is taken back and you can't even bother to show up for the final fight!?"

"You will all die! Even after I am gone, biology has its limits! None of you will stand the test of time! All of you-!"

"I'd rather die than be your slave!" Tails twisted his neck to look him in the eye, "You tortured me to get your information! I'm insulted that you would even _try_ to make us pity you!"

Shadow twisted his neck next, _"I'm_ insulted that you would take advantage of the ancients' weaknesses just to get back at them for trying to protect you!"

Amy, "You're a nuisance and a curse! You've been trying to manipulate us since day one!"

Silver, "You even killed Sonic, made Queen Elise cry, and freed Iblis! You can't even defend yourself anymore!"

Knuckles, "I can't wait to kill you! It'll be the most cathartic punch I've ever thrown!"

Blaze, "Just take your death, and be glad it will be quick."

Sonic was last. He had let himself simmer until his chest burned and his eyes watered, because he wanted to be the one to look Lyric in the eye as he died.

"I watched my best friend, my _brother,_ waste away because of you. He had recurring nightmares, he was starving to death because he couldn't keep anything down. He was eight fucking years old. You are sick. You are vile. If it wasn't for what you did to Tails, I might have spared you for everything else, even for killing me."

Lyric had nothing to say. He trembled, feeling true fear for the first time since the day he discovered his illness.

"But you crossed a line. You made it personal for me. You gave me a reason to be truly and unimaginably angry. I will never forget the day a child looked me in the eyes and said, 'I don't want to go to sleep, because I know Lyric will be there.'"

The glow grew in intensity, and Lyric's metal joints creaked.

"If there is one thing I hope you remember for the rest of your pitiful existence, let it be this..." Sonic held up one finger as he held Lyric with his power, squeezing his neck until Lyric was gasping for breath, "Any world you want to create is a world I don't want to be a part of, and one I hope nobody will have to see ever again."

Hydraulic pumps snapped. Painted casing dented. Steam hissed out from Lyric's robotic upgrades until they leaked oil and sparked with electricity, grinding and choking. Smothering. Revolting.

"Oh, and one more thing..." Sonic brought Lyric slightly closer to himself, "I'm not Sonar. I am _Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog."_

Lyric exploded in a cacophony of broken metal and plastic. They crumpled in a heap on the ground, except for his head, which oozed with red blood. Tails was right, Lyric's brain was organic, and as every molecule was torn apart, so were the neurons that made consciousness possible in any organic lifeform.

And now, it was no more.

The heroes landed on the ground. The world sped up to normal. Each emerald fell from its respective Wielder, exhaustion in one causing a chain reaction that ended their trip.

The sky was clear. The world around them was calm.

Nobody dared break the silence. A minute passed. Then two. Then three. Anything they said would ruin the calm moment they had created, and they wanted the calm and the quiet to last.

Sonic tipped over when someone ran into him. It was Tails. He was hugging him and silently sobbing into his shoulder. Sonic held onto him tight, falling to the ground in a crumpled heap. Sonic felt tears on his own face, but he didn't care. These were not tears of pain, but of pure elation. Pure, unbridled relief.

He felt someone else collide with him. Amy. She was crying too. Silver and Blaze were next, their arms around all three in the middle. Shadow held onto Sonic and Tails as if daring the universe to separate them. Daring the world to throw something else at them, anything, if only to hurt them again. The final one was Knuckles, who wrapped his arms completely around the other six, holding them securely together so they stood no chance of falling apart.

It was so quiet. So calm. So peaceful.

_Thank you._

_Thank you for everything._

***

**Epilogue**

Elise swallowed as she approached the candle in the middle of the room. Solaris here was simply a flame. The flame of hope. Thousands of lifetimes it had seen, and yet it could never fully comprehend all of it. The monster was never a true ancient. It was too small. Too unintelligent. Too violent.

"Here it is." she lifted the candle by its holder from the podium, "If we destroy this flame, Solaris will utterly cease to exist, except in our memories."

Silver stared at it in wonder, incredulous that this had been the monster he had been afraid of his whole life.

"If I blow this candle out." Elise's eyes shone with unshed tears, "He will cause no more destruction ever again."

Sonic watched her tremble. She sniffed, wiping a black tear from her cheek.

Sonic placed a gentle hand on her arm, "Why do you hesitate?"

She sniffed, "Because...this flame ensured the prosperity of Soleanna, simply by existing. Without it..." she hung her head, her hand hiding half her face, "What will we do? How will we survive?"

Sonic beckoned her to kneel down so he could brush a lock of hair from her forehead, "Well, you said it yourself. Solaris still exists in our memories. It's possible that at one point in time he was needed. However, your kingdom has something going for it. Give yourself and your people a little credit." he scoffed, "Besides. You'll have a child one day who will take up the throne. Would you want that child to carry the curse of never crying?"

"No!" Elise coughed, "No, of course not."

Sonic nodded, "Elise...it'll be alright. I promise. You and your people..." he squeezed her shoulder, "You'll find a way, just like we have."

Elise smiled, even as tears still streamed down her face, "You're very wise, Sonic. Thank you."

And so, taking a slow and shaking breath of air, Elise closed her eyes and blew out the flame.

***

"We did it."

"Oh, thank god!" Eggman dramatically fell into his seat, "We've done it! All of this is over! Finally!"

"You and me both, Egghead." Sonic gave Tails' shoulder a gentle punch, "And it wouldn't have been possible without these guys!"

"Aw shucks!" Tails returned the gesture, "What, no knock on wood this time?"

Two metallic bangs sounded from the hallway, _I find that metal is a suitable substitute for such an irrational superstition._

"Glad to see you haven't changed, Metal." Sonic cocked his head, "We were just leaving. Tell Orbot and Cubot the good news, eh?"

_I will. Oh, and Sonic?_

"Yeah?"

Metal twisted his hands together, _I am sorry for killing your uncle. And I am sorry for killing Amy's mother, and Knuckles' father. I am sorry for all of it, for my reckless actions were no more than a conduit to a lofty goal and caused you immense and unnecessary suffering. I know sorry is not sufficient in these circumstances, but I wished to apologize anyway, for recognizing one's foolish actions is the first step to fixing the problem._

Sonic leaned on the wall, laughing with no humor behind it, "Thanks for the apology, but I don't think it will be enough. You're pretty scary, Metal. You know that?"

_I cannot tell if that was intended to be an insult or a compliment, so I will remain neutral. As for your declaration of my apology to be insufficient, please tell me if there is any more I can do to remedy the problem I have caused, possibly at a later time if you cannot think of a condition at the moment._

Sonic thought about it for a minute, then a wide grin broke across his face.

"Careful, Sonic. He's a robot." Tails said, "He'll take what you say literally."

"I know." Sonic straightened up, clearing his throat, "How about this; You promise that you will never kill anyone ever again, unless your life or someone else's life is in immediate danger and you can't find a solution that leaves everyone alive. In which case, kill the threat or threats and nobody else, got it?"

Metal nodded, _Affirmative. Anything else?_

"How about you stop trying to kill me?"

Eggman's voice came from the other room, "You're pushing it, hedgehog!"

"How about you buy me chilidogs?" Sonic's grin turned mischievous, "How about you come to my birthday party dressed as a clown?"

"Hey, don't we get a say in this?" Amy gestured to herself and Knuckles, "He hurt us too."

"I was gonna let you go next!"

_Would you, uh, like me to delete those previous two commands?_

"Yeah yeah, I was just messing with you."

_Thank god._ Metal pressed two fingers to his own forehead, _I will do whatever possible to reduce unnecessary harm in the future so that one day the doctor will be able to take over an intact world._

"Okay, now _you're_ pushing it."

"Can we just leave?" Silver massaged his temples, "I have a really bad headache right now."

"Oh." Sonic shrugged, "Sorry." he then stepped aside for Amy and Knuckles, "Is there anything you guys wanted to ask of Metal?"

Amy tapped her chin, then she put her hands on her hips, "How about this, Metal; If you violate Sonic's command, I get to hit you with my hammer."

Metal flinched.

"As many times as I want."

Sonic shared a knowing glance with Tails and Knuckles. Ouch.

After a moment of deliberation, Metal nodded, _Affirmative. Command accepted._

"I don't think he ever plans on breaking your command, eh Sonic?"

Sonic felt a phantom pain in his head, "Yeah. Definitely. I know I wouldn't."

"Knuckles?" Amy said, "Anything to add?"

Knuckles sighed, "You know what? I think he's had enough. I'll let you know later if I think of anything, okay little guy?"

_Affirmative. You may answer my query at a later time._ Metal trudged away dejectedly, _At least my sense of morality is clearing up a bit..._

"Great." Knuckles led the way out of the facility, "Now if I could only figure out why the Master Emerald keeps disappearing when I'm the one watching it..."

Sonic looked at him until he caught his gaze.

"What?"

"You mean you haven't figured it out?"

Knuckles' eyes widened and he stopped walking, "You mean you have!?”

"Good god, Knuckles!" Sonic slapped his face, "It's Rouge! She totally has a thing for you and is trying to get your attention! She probably doesn't realize how much you hate it."

"What!?" Knuckles knocked his fists together, "I can't believe myself! It was so obvious!"

"You'd better go talk to her."

"Good idea." Knuckles jumped down from the base, "See you around!"

"Bye, Knux!"

Sonic felt someone take his hand, so he looked up. The rest of the group had dispersed, so it was just him and Amy left. She was staring unfocused at his hand in hers, trying to figure out what to say.

Finally, she simply said, "What do we do now?"

Sonic scratched his head, "I have no idea. I never really thought this far ahead."

"I know. I can't believe it's been ten years." Amy walked with him to the Tornado, where Tails was excitedly talking about something with Cosmo.

"Maybe..." Sonic gazed up at the sky, "Maybe I'll just take a nap in my favorite tree and figure out the rest later. I haven't done that in a long time."

Amy elbowed him, "Maybe you can do it in your werehog form so I can lay on you like a mattress."

Sonic laughed. A real, true, genuine laugh. He couldn't remember the last time he had laughed like this. It felt so nice.

Tails stopped in the middle of what he was saying, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, bro." he wiped a tear from his eye.

Then, without warning, he ran past the tornado, transforming in the next moment.

"Hey, Ames!" Sonic said in his gruff werehog voice, extending a hand to her, "You wanna take the scenic route?"

"Do I!?" she leapt onto his back, her arms securely wrapped around his shoulders.

Sonic waved, "Bye, Tails!"

"Bye, Sonic! I'll see you at home!"

Sonic grabbed a distant icicle, saluting behind him as he grappled away.

The last thing he saw as he left was Silver and Blaze, as she held an envelope in her hands with a fancy wax seal.

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I've finished this story after so long. When I wrote the original version of this story, I was 14. Now I'm 21. This story means the world to me, and I've put my heart and soul into it. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
> 
> What can I say? I'm really sappy.
> 
> Come say hi to me on tumblr! marshemillow.tumblr.com


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